Climate change-induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest-dependent communities: The case of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Many South African rural communities depend directly or indirectly on natural forests to meet their livelihoods. Climate change can alter many of the mutual relationships between rural communities and natural resources (forests) by posing a variety of new challenges to these resources, agriculture,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Trees, Forests and People |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719322000577 |
| _version_ | 1818235010028666880 |
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| author | Edilegnaw Wale Mmaphuti Andrias Nkoana Eliaza Mkuna |
| author_facet | Edilegnaw Wale Mmaphuti Andrias Nkoana Eliaza Mkuna |
| author_sort | Edilegnaw Wale |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many South African rural communities depend directly or indirectly on natural forests to meet their livelihoods. Climate change can alter many of the mutual relationships between rural communities and natural resources (forests) by posing a variety of new challenges to these resources, agriculture, biodiversity, rural livelihoods and food (in) security. This study aimed to assess how forest-dependent rural communities perceive climate change and how that perception and other socio-economic factors affect their adaptation. In doing so, it identifies the barriers and enablers to adaptation in response to changes in the community forest status that threaten their livelihoods. The study employed a multinomial logit (MNL) model to analyse how socio-economic and institutional factors influence their choices among the alternative livelihood strategies. The study reveals that factors such as the capacity of community forests to support rural community livelihoods, awareness of community members about the change in temperature and rainfall, and the trend in the availability of natural forest products play important roles in enhancing adaptation capabilities. In addition, households with better knowledge about the trend in temperature and rainfall and also those endowed with human capital are less likely to create pressure on natural forests. Taking forests and their services as impure public goods, the study recommends the need for public-private partnerships (between local municipalities/government and/or non-government entities and the private sector) to invest in building institutions that improve community forest governance, capacity empowerment on collective management of common-pool resources, and creating employment and livelihood opportunities to forest-dependent rural communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T11:47:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea15a4fb7e374af0b2562823c735cd98 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-7193 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T11:47:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Trees, Forests and People |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea15a4fb7e374af0b2562823c735cd982022-12-22T00:25:26ZengElsevierTrees, Forests and People2666-71932022-06-018100250Climate change-induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest-dependent communities: The case of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaEdilegnaw Wale0Mmaphuti Andrias Nkoana1Eliaza Mkuna2Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of the Free State, South Africa; Corresponding author at: Agricultural Economics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa.Department of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga, 0727, South AfricaDepartment of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of the Free State, South AfricaMany South African rural communities depend directly or indirectly on natural forests to meet their livelihoods. Climate change can alter many of the mutual relationships between rural communities and natural resources (forests) by posing a variety of new challenges to these resources, agriculture, biodiversity, rural livelihoods and food (in) security. This study aimed to assess how forest-dependent rural communities perceive climate change and how that perception and other socio-economic factors affect their adaptation. In doing so, it identifies the barriers and enablers to adaptation in response to changes in the community forest status that threaten their livelihoods. The study employed a multinomial logit (MNL) model to analyse how socio-economic and institutional factors influence their choices among the alternative livelihood strategies. The study reveals that factors such as the capacity of community forests to support rural community livelihoods, awareness of community members about the change in temperature and rainfall, and the trend in the availability of natural forest products play important roles in enhancing adaptation capabilities. In addition, households with better knowledge about the trend in temperature and rainfall and also those endowed with human capital are less likely to create pressure on natural forests. Taking forests and their services as impure public goods, the study recommends the need for public-private partnerships (between local municipalities/government and/or non-government entities and the private sector) to invest in building institutions that improve community forest governance, capacity empowerment on collective management of common-pool resources, and creating employment and livelihood opportunities to forest-dependent rural communities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719322000577Adaptation strategiesClimate changeForest-dependent communitiesPerceptionsRural livelihoodsSouth Africa |
| spellingShingle | Edilegnaw Wale Mmaphuti Andrias Nkoana Eliaza Mkuna Climate change-induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest-dependent communities: The case of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Trees, Forests and People Adaptation strategies Climate change Forest-dependent communities Perceptions Rural livelihoods South Africa |
| title | Climate change-induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest-dependent communities: The case of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_full | Climate change-induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest-dependent communities: The case of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Climate change-induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest-dependent communities: The case of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate change-induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest-dependent communities: The case of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_short | Climate change-induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest-dependent communities: The case of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_sort | climate change induced livelihood adaptive strategies and perceptions of forest dependent communities the case of inanda kwazulu natal south africa |
| topic | Adaptation strategies Climate change Forest-dependent communities Perceptions Rural livelihoods South Africa |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719322000577 |
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