RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY AREA
MAP 4.1: MAP OF KWAZULU-NATAL SHOWING THE LOCATION OF NHLAZUKA
4.11 Conclusion
5.2.3 The main uses and needs of forest resources
Figure 5.4: Difficulties in obtaining, purchasing or collecting sources of fuel (in
%) (n=50)
sometimes
2 6 % y ^ l
f
[ i no ^ * "^m 1
2 2 %
|—-»^
^ \
\yes /52%
1
Q yes
• no
1 • sometimes [
Although most respondents use fuelwood, 52% revealed that it is not easy to access fuelwood in Saint Bernard. Some of the concerns raised here are that dry trees are difficult to find, as a result, people are often forced to cut live wood from the private plantations which is not suitable for making a fire. Cutting of love wood also raises questions about long-term sustainability. The difficulty of finding dry woods also emanates from the fact that most people steal fuelwood from the plantations, often at night and this makes it difficult to identify suitable trees. Linked to this is that some people find it difficult to purchase fuelwood from those who sell it in the community.
The issue of affordability also applies to the other sources of fuel such as paraffin and gas. Therefore, access to sources of fuel is largely dependent on households' income and the availability of dry trees in the forests; hence 26% of the respondents mentioned that they find difficulty in accessing fuelwood and other sources of fuel occasionally/ sometimes. Twenty-two percent of respondents mentioned that they do not find it difficult to access fuelwood. This is a group of respondents who purchase fuelwood from the truck owners.
the livelihoods of rural households with specific reference to Saint Bernard. The households' patterns of use of forest resources are also traced in this section.
Table 5.11: Use of forest resources and the types that are most often used (in %):
Multiple responses Uses
Fuelwood Poles
Medicinal resources
Total(n=50) 100 100 18
All the respondents interviewed directly use forest resources in their households. The use of wood for fuel purpose (especially for cooking and heating) has been mentioned in all the households. Linked to this is the use of poles in all households for building house structures and fencing. Only a few households harvest and use medicinal resources (18%). The use of wood as a source of fuel and heating tends to be a priority mainly because the area lies in the forested environment and perhaps because most households can hardly afford other sources of fuel like the use of gas and paraffin. The unavailability of electricity and other sources of fuel in the Saint Bernard area can partly be another cause. The use of medicinal resources involves the treatment of minor illnesses in the households while a few individuals harvest these resources for both household use and selling purposes in the markets. Isipingo has been mentioned as the nearest town wherein some of the medicinal resources are being sold. It has been mentioned that the medicinal resources are however not in abundance in this area and the indigenous forest in the area is increasingly infested by the alien plant species. - '
Table 5.12: Number of years the households have used forest products (in %) Years
1-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years
>20 years
Total(n=50) 6
20 44 30
The use of forest resources by the respondents generally corresponds with the years in which they started to occupy the Saint Bernard area. Forty-four percent of the respondents have been using forest resources for 11 to 15 years, 30% for more than 20 years, 20% for 6 to 10 years and 6%between 1 to 5 years. Except for the intensive use
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of wood as a source of fuel, poles are also used continuously by the households in the area to replace old building structures and to maintain fences and kraals.
Table 5.13: Nature of access to forest resources (in %) (n=50)
Collected by household members Hire someone to collect
Buy from local people Not applicable
Fuelwood 92 8 - -
Poles 44 42 14 -
Medicinal plants 18
2 - 80
There are different ways in which the respondents access forest resources in the Saint Bernard community. The above table reflects that in 92% of the households interviewed, fuelwood is collected by household members and 8% hire someone to collect fuelwood. In 44% of the households interviewed, poles are collected by household members, 42% hire someone to collect and only 14% of the households buy from the local people. In 18% of the households, medicinal resources are normally collected by household members whereas only 2% hire someone to collect and 80% have chosen a 'not applicable' response mainly because they do not use medicinal products from the forests. Wood resources for both fuel and building are harvested in the commercial plantations. It was revealed that in most cases it is difficult for household members to collect building materials because such materials usually have to be collected in bulk and care needs to be emphasized when choosing the types of wood/poles that are to be utilized for building purposes. It is for this reason that most households have to either hire someone to collect and deliver building materials or buy from the local people. In cases where household members have to harvest building materials themselves, it is often because they cannot afford to hire someone or to buy these materials. They resort to stealing. This usually takes
p l a c e d u r i n g t h e n i g h t . '••••?
The respondents mentioned that a certain stipend is usually paid to the forest guards to access the forests in exchange of a ticket to harvest forest resources to a certain extent.
The amount for the collection by individuals differs from that which is collected by vans and trucks. Some of the households mentioned that they find it difficult to pay for these tickets; hence they often resort to stealing wood resources. Furthermore, there are small pockets of trees that are found in open areas within the community.
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However, these are usually live pine trees that have grown in these areas as result of the transportation of the seedlings from the commercial forests. These tree resources are under the control of the elected committee which is the legal structure for decision-making in the community. It was mentioned that the committee does not allow community members to cut down these trees as they might enable the community to involve itself in small forestry business in the near future. Community members are only allowed to cut dry trees in these areas. These are extremely scarce and do no satisfy community demands. There is little agreement, however, between the committee and some community members about the use of the trees. A few respondents raised concerns that the trees have taken up space which could have been used for agricultural purposes and also these trees have degraded most of the water resources in the community.
Table 5.14: The number of days/weeks in which households harvest forest resources (in %)
Number of days Everyday
Once a week
After every two weeks Third week of every month Fourth week of a month
Total(n=50) 62 28 2 2 6
The above table presents the number of days when forest resources are collected by households. Sixty two percent of households interviewed collect forest resources on a daily basis, 28% once in a week and 6% usually collect the resources in the fourth week of every month. It is only 2% of the households that collect the forest resources after every two weeks and 2% again after the third week of the month. Fuelwood resources are the ones that are collected on a daily basis mainly for cooking and heating purposes. However, the numbers of days of collection of forest resources, fuelwood in particular, differ according to the number of people available in the household to collect the resources. The people who collect the resources after a long period of time are mainly those who can afford to purchase them.
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? • •'
Table 5.15: The nature of households' use of forest resources (in %) Uses
Harvest for household consumption
Harvest for both household and commercial purposes
Total(n=50) 94 6
As it has already been mentioned in table 5.11, the households in the Saint Bernard community use forest resources both for household consumption and commercial purposes. The above table reflects the number of households per each category of use.
It is depicted in the table above that 94% of the respondents harvest forest resources for household consumption and only 6% harvest both for household consumption and commercial purposes. The commercial category is linked to the harvesting and selling of medicinal resources by only a few community members.
Table 5.16: People responsible for collecting forest resources in the households (in %)
People responsible Mother
Children
Mother, father and children Mother and children
Not applicable
Total (n=50) 10 46 4 34 6
The above table reflects members of the households who are most responsible for the collection of the forest resources that have been mentioned above. In 46% of the households, the collection of forest resources is the children's responsibility. In 34%
of the households, this responsibility is shared amongst the children and their mothers.
In 10% of the households only mothers are responsible. In 4% of the households the collection of forest resources is shared amongst the mother, father and the children. It is only in 6% of the households interviewed that the above categories of choice do not exist mainly because, instead of collecting the resources themselves, they prefer to purchase fuelwood from the trucks. It was mentioned that in the households where the male or head of households are involved it is often either when they have to steal fuelwood resources at night or in the collection of poles for building purposes.
Nevertheless, it was mentioned by some of the respondents that the collection of forest resources by people, particularly fuelwood, often depends on who is available at a particular time in individual households. It is interesting that the responsibility of fuelwood collection is in some households shared amongst all household members,
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both the children and the elders, male and female. This in turn shows the demand and importance of the forest resources in the Saint Bernard community.
Table 5.17: Number of people who harvest forest resources in the household (in
Number of people 1-2
3-4 5
Not applicable
Total(n=50) 36 42 16 6
In 42% of the households interviewed, 3 to 4 people are responsible for the collection of forest resources while in 36%, between 1 and 2 people are responsible. It is also depicted in the above table that in 16% of the households interviewed, the collection of forest resources is shared amongst 5 people and 6% interviewed responded "not applicable" because they often prefer to buy forest resources. The above table therefore reflects that in most households in Saint Bernard community, most family members per household are involved in the collection of forest resources. This indicates a high demand for forest resources particularly fuelwood which is often used on a daily basis in most households.