Wayne Twine

``Locusts are now our beef'': Adult mortality and household dietary use of local environmental resources in rural South Africa1

There is currently a lack of research on the association between demographic dynamics and household use of natural resources in rural Africa. Such work is important because in rural Africa natural resources buffer households against shocks, offering both sustenance and income-generating potential. Aims: The article focuses on adult mortality as a household shock, examining use of local environmental resources as related to household dietary needs. Methods: The authors analyze two sources of data collected during May—December 2004 in the MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) in rural South Africa. Quantitative analyses use survey data from 240 households, stratified by adult mortality experience. Qualitative data are based on 31 interviews with members of households having recently experienced adult mortality. Results: The interviews provide insight into a variety of household-level mortality impacts and also suggest the importance of proximate resources in the maintenance of food security following the loss of an adult household member. Quantitatively, there are significant differences, both in patterns of usage of the natural environment and in levels of food security, between households that have lost an adult and those that have not. The association between mortality and household use of local environmental resources is further shaped by the gender of the deceased and the time elapsed since the death. Conclusions: Adult mortality, particularly the death of a male wage-earner, affects household food security. Time allocation is affected as resource collection responsibilities shift, and wild foods may substitute for previously purchased goods.

Socio-economic transitions influence vegetation change in the communal rangelands of the South African lowveld.

The importance of the human dimensions of vegetation change in rangelands is increasingly being acknowledged. However, surprisingly little research is directed at advancing our understanding of the relationships between socio-economic factors and state of the vegetation in these systems. There is therefore a significant gap in our understanding of the socio-economic drivers of change in rangeland vegetation. This paper uses the results of long-term research in the communal rangelands of the South African lowveld to demonstrate how socio-economic changes can influence resource use patterns, which in turn directly impact on the vegetation. Factors such as changes in institutional control, levels of unemployment and local perceptions of rights and responsibilities since democratic elections have resulted in a dramatic increase in harvesting of tree resources in these communal rangelands. Most noticeable has been the increased commercial harvesting of fuelwood. Increased harvesting has a significant impact on the vegetation, which in turn reduces local resource supply. This results in increasing reliance on resources purchased from commercial harvesters or on substitute resources. These changes in resource use patterns and the resultant impacts on the vegetation thus form a feedback loop between society and the natural environment. This paper emphasises the importance of understanding these relationships in order to adequately understand vegetation change in human-impacted rangeland systems. Research partnerships involving both the natural and social sciences will thus become increasingly important in rangeland ecology.

Adult Mortality and Natural Resource Use in Rural South Africa: Evidence From the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance Site.

There is little empirical evidence on the association between household experience with HIV/AIDS and shifts in the use of natural resources in developing countries, where residents of rural regions remain highly dependent on often-declining local supplies of natural resources. This study examines household strategies with regard to fuelwood and water among impoverished rural South African households having experienced a recent adult mortality and those without such mortality experience. Quantitative survey data reveal higher levels of natural resource dependence among mortality-affected households, as well as differences in collection strategies. Qualitative interview data provide insight into subtle and complex adjustments at the household level, revealing that impacts vary by the role of the deceased within the household economy. Resource management and public health implications are explored.

Unsustainable fuelwood extraction from South African savannas.

Wood and charcoal supply the majority of sub-Saharan Africa’s rural energy needs. The long-term supply of fuelwood is in jeopardy given high consumption rates. Using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), we mapped and investigated savanna aboveground biomass across contrasting land uses, ranging from densely populated communal areas to highly protected areas in the Lowveld savannas of South Africa. We combined the LiDAR observations with socio-economic data, biomass production rates and fuelwood consumption rates in a supply‐demand model to predict future fuelwood availability. LiDAR-based biomass maps revealed disturbance gradients around settlements up to 1.5 km, corresponding to the maximum distance walked to collect fuelwood. At current levels of fuelwood consumption (67% of households use fuelwood exclusively, with a 2% annual reduction), we calculate that biomass in the study area will be exhausted within thirteen years. We also show that it will require a 15% annual reduction in consumption for eight years to a level of 20% of households using fuelwood before the reduction in biomass appears to stabilize to sustainable levels. The severity of dwindling fuelwood reserves in African savannas underscores the importance of providing affordable energy for rural economic development.

The bush is no more: insights on institutional change and natural resource availability in rural South Africa.

The past decade has brought substantial transition to South Africa. The introduction of democracy in 1994 has yielded important political and socioeconomic transformations affecting millions of people. Here, we explore the impact of institutional and structural changes on the availability and management of fuelwood, a key natural resource in rural South Africa. As in other developing regions, many households depend on natural resources for both sustenance and energy needs. Drawing on qualitative data from 32 interviews, our objective is to describe, from the perspective of the respondents, (1) resource scarcity, (2) the underlying causes of resource scarcity, (3) the role of traditional authority in managing resources, and (4) strategies used by community members in the face of resource scarcity. The results have important implications for the well-being of both social and natural systems in many transitional, rural developing societies.

The effect of catena position and stump characteristics on the coppice response of three savannah fuelwood species

Fuelwood is still the primary energy source for rural households across the savannah biome of Africa. Coppice growth is an important species-specific trait that strongly influences fuelwood production and regeneration, and yet coppice growth patterns are poorly understood in African savannahs. It is therefore vital that factors affecting coppice growth of species, such as environment conditions and harvesting technique, be better understood in order to develop models for sustainable fuelwood use. This study investigated coppice growth and resource allocation strategies in relation to (1) position along the landscape catena and (2) harvesting technique, for three savannah fuelwood tree species: Dichrostachys cinerea , Albizia harveyi and Combretum collinum . The study was conducted in a dystrophic semi-arid savannah in the far north-east of South Africa. A total of 1146 harvested stumps were sampled in topland and bottomland sites in three locations around a rural village. Stump characteristics (diameter and height) and coppice shoot variables (number of shoots, length and diameter of each shoot, length of longest shoot, and diameter of fattest shoot) were measured for each stump. Three soil samples were taken in each site for physical and chemical analysis. No statistically significant differences were found in soil variables between topland and bottomland sites, probably due to low sample size. Coppice resource allocation strategies varied between species. D. cinerea exhibited a ‘quantity-driven’ strategy, with the production of large numbers of relatively small coppice shoots with high length:diameter ratio (shoot taper function). C. collinum exhibited a ‘quality-driven’ strategy, characterized by the production of a relatively low number of larger coppice shoots. Coppice growth variables for A. harveyi were intermediate between those of the other two species, suggesting a strategy where allocation of resources to the number and growth of shoots is more balanced. However, allocation of resources relative to the size of the cut stem, indexed by total shoot basal area:stump basal area ratio, did not differ significantly between species. Coppice growth was strongly favoured in bottomland sites for D. cinerea , and to a lesser degree, C. collinum . Catenal position had a negligible influence on coppice growth of A. harveyi . Number of shoots produced increased with cutting height for all three species. For all three species the number of shoots increased with stump diameter, and mean shoot size also increased with stump size for D. cinerea . There was a significant negative relationship between stump diameter and total shoot basal area:stump basal area ratio for A. harveyi and C. collinum . A framework for optimizing different coppice growth variables according to species, catenal position and harvesting technique is given.

A tale of two villages: assessing the dynamics of fuelwood supply in communal landscapes in South Africa

SUMMARY Fuelwood is the dominant source of energy used by most rural households in southern Africa to meet daily domestic energy requirements. Due to limited financial resources, most rural households are unable to make the transition to electricity thus they remain dependant on the woodlands surrounding their settlements as a source of cheap energy. Unsustainable fuelwood harvesting due to increasing demand as a result of growing human populations may result in environmental degradation particularly in the high-density, communal savannah woodlands of South Africa. Evaluating the sustainability of current fuelwood harvesting patterns requires an understanding of the environmental impacts of past logging practices to establish patterns of woodland degradation. This study evaluates impacts of fuelwood harvesting from 1992‐2009 on the woodland structure and species composition surrounding two rural villages located within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (Mpumalanga Province, South Africa). Both villages (Welverdiend and Athol) were of similar spatial extent and exhibited similar socioeconomic characteristics. The total wood stock in the communal woodlands of both villages declined overall(withgreaterlossesseeninWelverdiend)and,in Welverdiend, there were also changes in the woodland structureandspeciesdiversityofthespeciescommonly harvestedforfuelwoodoverthisperiod.Thewoodlands in Welverdiend have become degraded and no longer produce fuelwood of preferred species and stem size in sufficient quantity or quality. The absence of similar negative impacts in Athol suggests more sustainable harvesting regimes exist there because of the lower human population and lower fuelwood extraction pressure. The Welverdiend community has annexed neighbouring unoccupied private land in a social response to fuelwood scarcity. Athol residents behaved similarly during drought periods. The potential for future conflict with neighbouring conservation areas within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere is high if

Harvesting of communal resources by ‘outsiders’ in rural South Africa: a case of xenophobia or a real threat to sustainability?

SUMMARY The harvesting of communal natural resources by ‘outsiders’ (i.e. harvesters from other villages or towns) was investigated in ten rural villages in South Africa. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques were used to collect data in focus groups in each village. A case study quantifying the outflow of fuelwood was also conducted in one of the villages. Harvesting by outsiders was reportedly widespread and, in the case of fuelwood, a cause for concern. Of 13 recorded resources, the three most commonly harvested by outsiders were fuelwood, plants for traditional medicine and river sand for brick-making. An increase in harvesting by outsiders over the last decade was widely reported. This was related to socio-economic changes, largely associated with the first democratic elections in 1994. Key socio-economic drivers of this increased harvesting were: 1) the breakdown of institutional control of resources, 2) rising unemployment, and 3) a pervasive sense of entitlement associated with new-found political freedom and democracy. Evidence suggests that the increased harvesting by outsiders is a reality, rather than a xenophobic accusation, and that it poses a threat to the sustainability of communal resources in rural areas. This is discussed within the context of South Africa as a society in transition.

Adult mortality and household food security in rural South Africa: Does AIDS represent a unique mortality shock?

HIV/AIDS has been described as a household shock distinct from others faced by rural households. This study examines this characterisation by analysing the impact of an adult HIV/AIDS-related death on household food security, compared with households experiencing either no mortality or a sudden non-HIV/AIDS adult death. The research is based in the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in rural South Africa, and focuses on a sample of 290 households stratified by experience of a recent prime-age adult death. HIV/AIDS-related mortality was associated with reduced household food security. However, much of this negative association also characterised households experiencing a non-HIV/AIDS mortality. In addition, other household characteristics, especially socioeconomic status, were strong determinants of food security regardless of mortality experience. We therefore recommend that development policy and interventions aimed at enhancing food security target vulnerable households broadly, rather than solely targeting those directly affected by HIV/AIDS mortality.

Practicing the science of sustainability: the challenges of transdisciplinarity in a developing world context

Questions related to how we practice sustainability science remain salient in the face of the failure to achieve broad-scale sustainability objectives. Transdisciplinarity is an essential part of sustainability science. Transdisciplinary conceptual scholarship has been more prevalent than empirical scholarship or applications, especially in developing world contexts. In a single case study of a multiyear project addressing water security issues in HaMakuya, South Africa, we used a framework for assessing transdisciplinary objectives to facilitate more systematic learning for those who practice sustainability science. We found that defining the problem and assembling our team were easier than the co-creation of solution-oriented knowledge and the reintegration and application of this new knowledge. Our singular case study speaks to the potential challenges related to building relationships and co-creating knowledge in an epistemologically diverse setting. Other case studies appear to have negotiated these issues in developing country contexts, and this leaves room further investigation for how to practice transdisciplinarity under these conditions.