Changes in household use and sale of locally collected environmental resources over a 15-year period in a rural village, South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACTMany rural areas are experiencing rapid social-ecological changes, impacting livelihoods and creating less certain futures. Despite several decades of research on the use of locally collected environmental resources there have been few repeat studies, especially in South and Southern Africa, to consider how households may be altering such use alongside other changes. This paper explores changes in the use of environmental resources by communities in the Kat River Valley, South Africa over a fifteen-year period, between 2000 and 2015, using a repeat survey, key informant interviews and other data from a larger study relating to social-ecological change. The proportion of households collecting different environmental resources was similar between the two periods. However, the mean quantities used per household had declined for several resources . Consequently, the monetary contribution or worth of these to livelihoods also declined, except for fuelwood and river sand. These changes can be related to, amongst others, transformations in both the local landscape and socio-economic environment, such as increases in state social welfare, a decline in agricultural production, woody plant encroachment, generational preferences, and the expansion of supermarket retailers. Understanding such trends is important for considering the sustainable management of landscapes and livelihoods into the future.