Thesis (PhD (Forest and Wood Science))—University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Developing sustainable mechanisms for use-management of forest products by user
communities has been suggested as a possible solution to the often-observed conflict
between forest use and the conservation of protected forests. In Zimbabwe, the use of
forest products in protected forests by local communities has a long history, but few
studies have explored both the socio-economic and ecological aspects of this use.
This study was conducted in the Baikiaea plurijuga forests and woodlands in and
around Fuller Forest in western Zimbabwe, protected since 1943. It explored the
characteristics and dynamics of forest products use by communities surrounding this
protected forest. Further, the demography and dynamics of commonly harvested
woody species was examined in order to establish the present status of populations of
these species. This examination, focusing on diameter class distributions, was aimed
at informing whether species populations were expanding, stable or declining in view
of their capacity to continue providing required goods and services.
Results indicated that all households, rich and poor, were harvesting at least some
forest resources from the protected forest, with the most frequently harvested
resources being firewood, wood for curios, thatch grass, wild fruits, timber for
construction and fencing and those who owned livestock used the forest for livestock
grazing. The extraction and use of 23 different products was recorded across the
villages. The top five harvested forest products in terms of the mean proportion of
households using them were fuelwood, building poles, thatch grass, wild fruits and
broom grass. Forest products were harvested both for own consumption and for sale.
At present Baikiaea plurijuga, Colophospermum mopane, Brachystegia spiciformis,
Diplorhynchus condylocarpon, Commiphora mocambicensis and Bauhinia petersiana
out of 14 commonly harvested species appear to have relatively stable populations as
indicated by their inverse J-shaped diameter class distribution profiles.
Preliminary indications from this baseline information point towards the successful
integration of local use of forest products and conservation objectives noting that
there is need for caution until further studies as recommended in this study are taken.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/1179 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Mudekwe, John |
| Contributors | Geldenhuys, Coert J., Grundy. I. M., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Agrisciences. Dept. of Forest and Wood Science. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 959383 bytes, application/pdf |
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