The influence of forest proximity to harvesting and use of provisioning ecosystem services from tree species in traditional agroforestry landscapes

Traditional agroforestry landscapes play a critical role in conserving biodiversity and sustaining rural livelihoods through multiple products and services. However, an unprecedented rise in the unsustainable utilisation and management of provisioning ecosystem services from these landscapes contributes to forest biodiversity loss and impacts livelihood efforts. The objective was to evaluate the link between distance and socio-ecological determinants and the provisioning ecosystem services consumption behaviour. This study tested whether “rural people’s preferences and extent of PESs harvesting decrease as the distance from the village to forest patches increase, regardless of the prevalent socio-ecological conditions’. Using a structured questionnaire survey, data were collected in 882 households in four villages of Thulamela Municipality, Limpopo Province in South Africa. The data were analysed using Chi-square, Fidelity level, Use-value, Friedman test, and Generalised linear model. Consistent with the hypothesis, the results showed that local people harvest most of the provisioning ecosystem services at an immediate (1st) level, followed by intermediate (2nd) and far distance (3rd) levels. This study further revealed the existence of 108 useful tree species in the study areas. This study also found that although socio-ecological determinants influence consumption behaviour, the influence of specific socio-ecological determinants was not consistent across the different regimes of distance from the forest resources. The fact that there is a preference to use and harvest provisioning ecosystem services from the distance regime closest to the household, shows a concerted effort to conserve and enhance the abundance of multipurpose tree species in homesteads and the immediate areas.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsdw20hj2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Conservation of tree species richness in a traditional agroforestry landscape in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL : TABLE S1: Species list from species richness plots and nominated species derived from the FGD sessions.Tree species richness is a critical element concerning trees on farms, on communal land and in protected areas to support biodiversity and socio-economic livelihoods in traditional agroforestry landscapes. Tree species richness is directly linked to the use of provisioning ecosystem services and to management practices in traditional agroforestry landscapes. The study aimed to investigate the link between socio-ecological and conservation strategies regarding tree species richness in traditional agroforestry landscapes. The study was conducted in the Damani, Thenzheni, Tshiombo and Tshipako villages located in Thulamela Municipality of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. The data were collected using a mixed method approach combining forestry inventory and focus group discussion. The study recorded a total number of 126 tree species: 83 communal-landhosted species, 68 species of trees on farms and 81 species in the protected areas. The indigenous species Englerophytum magalismontanum (Sond.) T.D.Penn. was the most cited (62%) by interviewees, with a primary use for wild fruits, followed by Pteleopsis myrtifolia (M.A. Lawson) Engl. & Diels. (57%) for fuelwood, Combretum molle R.Br. ex G.Don (36%) for traditional medicine and Albizia adianthifolia (Schumach.) W.F.Wight (12%) for fodder. Species richness was found to be commonly driven by provisioning ecosystem services with trees on farms and on communal land. Distance was found to be major driving factor of species richness in protected areas. This study found that the local people have no conservation strategy and practices targeting the enhancement of tree species richness in the traditional agroforestry landscape. This study advocates for the establishment of a conservation strategic framework for restoring tree species richness by targeting traditional agroforestry landscapes.A Short-Term Scientific Mission as part of the ASAP project (Agroforestry in Southern Africa: new pathways for innovative land-use systems under a changing climate) sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Research and Education (BMBF).https://www.mdpi.com/journal/forestsam2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Harvesting distance effect on tree species diversity in traditional agroforestry landscape : a case of Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in South Africa

Traditional agroforestry has been recognised to contribute to biodiversity conservation; however, biodiversity strategies often lack information about drivers of tree species diver sity loss, which is crucial for decision-making. Anthropogenic disturbance has positive and negative efects on tree species richness and diversity. This study was conducted in Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, Limpopo Province, and used distance from the nucleus of the community to the forest as a parameter to assess tree species richness and diversity. Vege tation data were collected using three transects of 150 m in each distance level and sampled a total area of 1000 m2 by sampling fve rectangular plots of 20 m2×10 m2 (200 m2 ). Data analysis was conducted using Chao1, PERMANOVA, nMDS, PERMDISP, DISTLIM, dbRDA and SIMPER. The fndings are in consonant with distance decay of community similarity hypotheses, with estimated tree species richness of 76, 93 and 95 species in an immediate distance, intermediate distance and far distance, respectively. Moreover, the highest species variation was observed at an intermediate distance, which indicates that there is greater species composition at an intermediate distance compared to immediate and far distances. The results confrm that the distance and associated factors have major detrimental efects on tree species richness and biodiversity in traditional agroforestry land scapes. Harvesting of provisioning ecosystem services is found and known to be extremely high in the study area. Efective interventions such as planting indigenous trees and con serving the existing vegetation must be implemented to reduce and halt overexploitation.Open access funding provided by University of Pretoria.http://link.springer.com/journal/10531Plant Production and Soil ScienceSDG-15:Life on lan

What benefit-sharing mechanisms can help forestry-based land restitution beneficiaries in South Africa? The case of Limpopo province forestry projects

The capture of the benefits by the elites due to the lack of a benefit-sharing mechanism is a serious threat to the development of forestry land restitution projects in South Africa. This study investigated the benefit-sharing mechanisms desirable to land claimant beneficiaries in forestry-based land restitution projects. A random sampling technique was used to select 351 and 170 households’ beneficiaries in Levubu and Tzaneen communities in Limpopo Province, respectively. Data were collected using a household questionnaire and focus group discussions. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. Findings revealed that there are still no benefit-sharing mechanisms in Levubu and Tzaneen communities, but the beneficiaries comprehend the significance of developing a benefit-sharing mechanism for fair and equal distribution of benefits. The results revealed that stakeholders’ meetings (58.7%) and open beneficiaries’ meetings (40.6%) were preferred mechanisms. In addition, beneficiaries in both Levubu (54.4%) and Tzaneen (68.9%) preferred to receive benefits monthly. This paper provides the first overview of a benefit-sharing model in forestry-based land restitution projects in South Africa. It concludes that there is a need to consider the early development of a benefit-sharing mechanism in land restitution projects in order to allow a greater equal share of the benefits.The South African Forestry Company Limited (SAFCOL).https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tftl202023-06-27hj2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc