RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY AREA
MAP 4.1: MAP OF KWAZULU-NATAL SHOWING THE LOCATION OF NHLAZUKA
5.6 The impact of commercial plantations on local livelihoods
The group that did not respond (2%) or indicated they did not know (36%) involves the respondents who hardly attend the community meetings; it can be deduced therefore that they are not well acquainted with the issues that relate to forestry in the community. The above table further shows that while 12% of the respondents said that there are obstacles to community involvement, 8% believed that obstacles do occur occasionally or sometimes. Some of the concerns that were raised by the group which said that there are obstacles in community involvement were that few people attend community meetings wherein the issues that relate to forestry in the community are often discussed. Another issue was that the community is raising concerns of distrust towards the committee because there are many issues that relate to forestry that have not been addressed yet. The issue that was highlighted here was that the committee has failed to address the concerns of other community members, especially by promoting the protection of the exotic species that are scattered around the community and not disclosing the title deed to most community members.
Table 5.38: Number of people working in the plantations per household (in %) Number of people
None 1-2 3-4
Total(n=50) 72
24 4
Given the close proximity of the commercial forest plantations, it is probable that employment opportunities for the people in Saint Bernard exist. However, this does not mean that the community members always have guaranteed employment opportunities in the plantations. This is reflected in the above table. Seventy two percent of the respondents interviewed mentioned that there is no one in their families that is currently working in forest plantations adjacent to the community. Twenty four percent of respondents mentioned that an average of one to two members of their households are employed as casual workers in the plantations while 4% have three to four household members working in the forest plantations on a seasonal basis in Saint Bernard. The data reveals that a significant proportion of the households (28%) have at least a member of the household working in the plantations. However, this does not meet the employment demands of the majority of the households. It is in fact, as Engelsen et al (2003) indicate, the character of the commercial forestry industry that adjacent rural communities often have few permanent job opportunities, with limited options available for seasonal jobs. The main issues that were raised during the focus group discussions were that those who are working usually complain about the unsafe working conditions, the absence of medical cover, low wages and that sometimes they do not get paid. . ,
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Figure 5.12: Knowledge of business partnerships between forest authorities and community (in %) (n=50)
do not know 28%
j H do not know i B no
Contemporary literature on forestry (Lewis et al, 2004; Ojwang, 2000; Mayers et al, 2001) indicates that in most areas, especially those that are under a communal tenure system of ownership or have been claimed under the land reform program, it is often likely that business ventures in the form of small timber out-grower schemes between the forest fringe communities and the private companies exist. In Saint Bernard, however, this is not a case. While 72% of the respondents interviewed mentioned that there are no business ventures that exist between the community and private forest companies, 28% of the respondents mentioned that they do not know anything concerning community forest businesses. The unavailability of the business ventures between the community and private forest owners might perhaps be linked to fact that the land transferred to the community does not include that of the plantations, although there are allegations that some of the land within the plantations belong to the community. Perhaps this is the reason that has influenced the community to engage the private forest owners in discussions about starting up a community business by selling timber. Some of the people in the "do not know" group of respondents mentioned that since the committee is slow in addressing forestry-related problems in the community and promotes the protection of the exotic trees in the community, it might perhaps be possible that the forest owners have promised them something which is not known by the community.
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Table 5:39: Whether there is a section of land in plantations under the control of the community (in %)
Responses Yes
No
Do not know Not applicable
Total(n=50) 30 22 40 8
The issue of the section of the land in the community that has been taken by private forest owners is the most controversial one because it is not clear to most community members. The above table depicts the perceptions of the respondents about this matter. Forty percent of the respondents mentioned that they do not know if there is a section of the land that belongs to the community in the plantations. Some people in this group of respondents argued that they are not sure of this allegation because the content of the title deed is not yet known by the community members. In contrast to this view, 30% of the respondents argued that they are sure that there is a section of the land that belongs to the Saint Bernard community that has been occupied by private forest owners by planting exotic trees. It was mentioned that the land that is currently occupied by trees was left untouched when the area was still under the missionaries. It emerged during the focus group discussions that the land was occupied within a few months after the ownership of the land was transferred to the community. This raises questions about the responsibilities of the community committee. It is also reflected in the above table that 22% of the respondents said that there is no section of the community that is occupied by plantations. Only 8% of the respondents interviewed declined to comment on the matter.
Table 5.40: Availability of seasonal jobs for the community in the plantations (in
Responses Yes
No
Do not know
Total(n=50) 76
10 14
As it has been highlighted earlier, the common benefit for rural communities in relation to the forest industry is that there are usually seasonal jobs and such is the case in the Saint Bernard community. Seventy six percent agreed that seasonal jobs are made available to the unemployed community members. These are usually during
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the planting and felling seasons. Fourteen percent of the respondents said they do not know if seasonal jobs sometimes exist. This group involves the senior/elder members of the community. Only 10% of the respondents mentioned that there are no seasonal jobs for the community. The main issue raised was that although such opportunities
exist, the majority of the people are not from Saint Bernard.
Figure 5.13: Whether forest plantations negatively impact natural environment (in %) (n=50)
The above figure depicts the respondent's views on whether forest plantations have a negative impact on the natural environment of Saint Bernard. This has been one of the major issues of concern among most of the respondents. The vast majority of the respondents (70%) agreed that plantations impact negatively on the natural environment whereas 22% said they do not know, although some have heard that forest plantations negatively impact on the natural environment from other community members. Only 8% of the respondents denied that plantations have a negative impact on the natural environment.
Most of the respondents mentioned that their close proximity to the forest plantations has degraded most of the community's water resources because all the streams that were once filled with running water around the community are now dry and infested with the exotic trees. The scarcity of water in the community means that the community cannot be effectively involved in small-scale agricultural activities in the community. Most of the respondents mentioned that the forest plantations and the tress that have grown around the community are the major cause of the scarcity of
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W
water in the Saint Bernard community. It was also mentioned that the spread of the alien plants in the community is as a result of the forest plantations because these plants were only found in the plantations but now have spread throughout the community and are also growing in water streams. Furthermore, there is little hope that they can be completely destroyed in the community because they still exist in large numbers in the plantations and are destroying the natural environment in the community.
Table 5.41: Perceived advantages of living next to the forests (in %) Responses
Easy access to forest resources Employment opportunities No benefits
Total (n=50) 24 26 50
The respondents had different views when asked about the advantages of living next to the forests. The above table shows that half of the respondents believe that there are no benefits in living next to the forest plantations. Some of the respondents in this » group raised concerns with reference to the impact of tree plantations on the water resources in the community and that there is no enough space for agricultural activities and grazing. According to this group, forest plantations impact negatively on ;' the livelihoods of the Saint Bernard community. Twenty-six percent of the respondents mentioned employment opportunities and 24% mentioned easy access to forest resources as advantages of living next to the forests. It should be noted that although some of the respondents pointed out employment opportunities and easy access to forest resources, some mentioned that the benefits could have been more widespread and significant if the community had a share of ownership in the forest plantations.
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