Enviromental and socio-economic sustainability of marula harvesting in the Lubombo region, Swaziland

[摘要] English: People form an integral part of ecosystems and derive a range of products from, and also influence, ecosystem processes. Poverty stricken people in rural areas of Swaziland utilize marula to alleviate poverty and earn a living. To reduce poverty, the Government of Swaziland developed a Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Plan, and put up a programme of action (2013-2018) to meet His Majesty King Mswati III's1 dream of Swaziland becoming a developed country by 2022. Her Majesty Ntombi Thwala - the Queen Mother2 of Swaziland also initiated poverty eradication projects for rural women through the harvesting of marula fruits (Sclerocarya birrea). However, limited data exist on the socio-economic contribution of marula to rural livelihoods. Additionally, the possible impact of excessive harvesting (propelled by the commercialisation of the resource) on rural communities depending on marula for their livelihood is not known, let alone the impact of harvesting pressure on marula regeneration and recruitment. This situation can lead to overharvesting and local extinction of marula. This thesis aimed at determining the role that marula plays in the livelihoods of, and poverty alleviation among the rural population in Swaziland and set out to identify policy interventions to facilitate means of sustaining marula for future availability.A cross-sectional socio-economic survey embedded in an exploratory and descriptive research design and supplemented by a survey of the marula tree populations was carried out in the Lubombo region of Swaziland. Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches to data collection and analysis were employed. The study established that marula contributes significantly to the livelihoods of rural households in Swaziland as 53.3% of the respondents in the socio-economic survey supplemented their household income by harvesting marula. Marula was considered to be a very important source of household income by 68.5% of the respondents. About 49.8% of respondents earned an equivalent of US Dollar 36.2 (E500) per season, of which 46% used the income to buy books and uniforms and pay school fees and 42.4% used it to buy groceries, electricity and medication. Marula also contributes to cultural and spiritual enrichment and the creation of social ties. Several socio-demographic factors, such as gender, age, lack of employment and low level of education were found to be drivers of people to harvest marula for livelihoods. The thesis concluded that:�?marula harvesting makes a substantial contribution to the economies and livelihoods of rural households in Swaziland;�?marula harvesting plays a fundamental role in cultural practices and festivities in Swaziland and is paramount in creating social ties and cohesion among the Swazi nation;�?the increased harvesting of marula fruits and seeds has a detrimental impact on the sustainability of marula tree species in Swaziland;�?the current level of commercialized harvesting of marula in Swaziland is unsustainable and requires official monitoring and control of the harvesting process;�?environmental factors impact negatively on the regeneration, growth and sustainability of marula;�?distinctive socio-demographic attributes, such as gender and age, drive rural people to harvest marula beyond its sustainability thresholds;�?the depletion of marula will deepen the existing poverty levels of the respondents and lead to the deterioration of quality of life, especially in those impoverished households that are proportionately more dependent on marula;�?there are insufficient policy and legal frameworks for the protection of marula in Swaziland.The thesis recommended that:�?the marula population structure be stabilized by planting marula trees and nurturing seedlings in the agricultural fields and also by leaving some fruits in the fields during harvesting in order to ensure regeneration;�?the Department of Forestry should develop programmes to educate and train rural communities on the importance of conserving and sustaining marula trees and products in Swaziland;the Department of Forestry should revise the existing floral policies and legal frameworks in Swaziland so as to fill the existing gap in these policies on access to and control of marula harvesting;�?the Government of Swaziland should revisit the policies on rural development in order to encourage and strengthen the creation of employment opportunities in rural areas so as to reduce the dependency on natural resources and marula in particular;�?the Department of Forestry should establish the maximum sustainable yield of marula in order to set quotas for harvesting per individual/ household;�?the Department of Forestry should address the gaps in the existing knowledge base of marula biology in Swaziland.

[发布机构] University of the Free State