Contribution of Sale of Firewood Towards Rural Livelihood in Swaziland, and its Environmental Sustainability

Abstract: A study was conducted along the Main Road number 3 (MR 3) to determine the contribution of sale of firewood to the livelihood of the rural population in the lowveld of Swaziland and its environmental impact. The study used structured questionnaires and interview schedules to collect data. The questionnaires were administered to 18 firewood sellers along the road who were selected systematically by administering it to every second firewood seller out of the total of 37 firewood sellers. The area under forest/woodlands was determined by analysis of Landsat Thematic Mapper (Landsat TM) and Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (Landsat ETM) for 1994 and 2006, respectively. The results revealed that the majority of firewood harvesters had permission to do so from the owners and management of land where harvesting was taking place. The harvesting was not monitored, and there were instances of protected plant species being harvested for firewood

Occurrence and Management of Wildfires in Northern Hhohho, Swaziland

Abstract: A study was conducted to determine the status of wildfire and fire management practices in Swaziland. The northern Hhohho region was used as a case study. Information for occurrence of fires was sourced from MODIS fire alert system over a period of 12 months (August 2011 to July 2012). A proforma was used to collect data on land tenure, land use and cover and fire management and suppression measures from land users adjacent to 130 fire sites that were randomly selected from the case study area. Climatic data (rainfall and wind) were obtained from local weather stations. A total of 1,779 fires were recorded over the 12 months period in the whole country and 50% of the fires occurred during the months of August and September. The majority of fire spots (58%) were found in private land as opposed to 42% found in communal land. A significant difference for fire intensities (confidence levels) was observed for forest plantations and cultivation as well as for forest plantations and grazing (ρ<0.05). Honey hunters were the main causes of wildfire, with 29% of the fires attributed to them. This was more prevalent in the forest plantations though some forest plantations provided forest scouts to assist honey hunters to extract the honey, in an effort to reduce the incidents of wildfires. About 56% of wildfires were not suppressed and they caused the maximum possible destruction. The forest plantations had trained fire brigades and yet the rural communities did not have such and they lacked incentives to manage fires, especial when the fires were in adjacent private farms