Conservation, forest resources and sustainable rural livelihoods : a case study of Saint Bernard Community, KwaZulu-Natal.
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Date
2007
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Abstract
There is a growing body of literature that outlines a contemporary view of the role of
forests and forestry in rural development. The most common argument highlighted by the
contemporary literature indicates that forests provide a wide variety of important
products, both for subsistence purposes and as sources of income. This study is based on
the premise that an understanding of the issues that relate to access and utilization of
forest resources and their management cannot be neglected in the field of rural
development, more especially in the African context wherein much of the population is
still defined as rural dwellers. Furthermore, given the paradigm shifts that have been
witnessed in both the approaches to rural development and natural resource management
over the years, it is necessary to examine how forestry has responded to new demands,
particularly in relation to its contribution to rural livelihoods. This study intended to
examine the conservation and management of forest resources and their impact on
sustaining rural livelihoods by using the case study of the Saint Bernard community in
the Nhlazuka village in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal province. In Saint Bernard, a
communal system of managing community resources such as trees and forests forms an
integral part of decision-making. The study looked at the management of both the natural
and plantation forests and their impact on the livelihoods of rural communities, especially
in communally owned areas. Given the nature of this study, both qualitative and
quantitative methods of social science research were employed to generate data relating
to the research objectives and questions. Qualitative participatory techniques used include
the ranking exercise, mental mapping and venn diagram. Quantitative data was mainly
obtained through a questionnaire survey. The primary data was supplemented with the
secondary data relating to the focus of this study.
Description
Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.
Keywords
Sustainable development--Economic aspects., Forests and forestry--KwaZulu-Natal., Theses--Environmental science.