Volume 17 – 4

 

Editorial

 

Shackleton C.M, Buiten, E, Annecke, W, Banks, D, Bester J

Exploring the options for fuelwood policies to support poverty alleviation policies: evolving dimensions in South Africa

 

Justine Namaalwa  & Ole Hofstad

Tenure Transformations and Sustainable Management of Woodlands in Uganda

 

Zenebe Mekonnen, Habtemariam Kassa, Mulugeta Lemenh and Bruce Campbell

The Role And Management Of Eucalyptus In Lode Hetosa District, Central Ethiopia

 

Dereje Tadesse Wakjira and Tadesse Woldemariam Gole

Customary Forest Tenure in Southwest Ethiopia

 

 

Research Notes

Shashi Chauhan,  Bhupendra Singh, B.P. Bhatt and N.P. Todaria

Effects Of The Altitude Of Seed Origin And Storage On The Germination Of Three Terminalia Species, Garhwal Himalaya, India  

 

U.K. Sahoo*, K. Upadhyaya And H. Lalrempuia

Effect Of Pretreatment And Temperature On The Germination Behaviour Of Seeds Of Parkia roxburghii G Don

 

Book Review

 

David Humphreys

Logjam; deforestation and the crisis of global government

 

ABSTRACTS

 

 

Shackleton C.M, Buiten, E, Annecke, W, Banks, D, Bester J

Exploring the options for fuelwood policies to support poverty alleviation policies: evolving dimensions in South Africa

 

Abstract

Access to secure and affordable energy supplies is widely acknowledged as a critical foundation for sustainable development; inadequate access exacerbates household poverty. In the developing world poor households are frequently reliant upon fuelwood for all or most of their energy needs. However, national poverty alleviation policies commonly do not consider fuelwood within their strategies, and similarly, energy policies rarely consider the poverty alleviation potential of a comprehensive fuelwood strategy. Consequently, synergies between poverty alleviation and energy policies - with fuelwood (and its derivates) as the bridge – are needed. This paper discusses this potential using South Africa as a case example. The current policy environment that either favours or hinders a linkage between the poverty and energy sectors and policy options and strategies available to develop such links, are discussed.

 

 

KEY WORDS: biomass, domestic energy supplies, alternative fuels, rural livelihoods, wood stoves, woodland extension service,

 

Justine Namaalwa  & Ole Hofstad

Tenure Transformations and Sustainable Management of Woodlands in Uganda

 

Abstract

In Sub-Saharan Africa, forest degradation has been one of the major problems facing natural resource management, mainly attributed to lack of clearly defined and enforced property rights, leading to a de facto open access situation.  National governments have been urged to remedy the situation through tenure changes such as privatisation and decentralization. Such restructuring and enforcement of tenure rights governing the use of forest resources have social and economic implications. This paper discusses the likely behavioural adaptations to privatization of woodland resources by various actors, and the effect of such adaptations on the rural livelihoods and the woodland resource. While private property may lead to sustainable utilization following successful exclusion of illegal exploitation and abidance to institutional specifications, this may not necessarily be the case if high exclusion costs exist. This is especially true in cases where communities have depended on these resources for their livelihoods for a long time.

 

Key Words: land tenure; resource tenure; rural livelihoods; illegal activities; privatisation;

Zenebe Mekonnen, Habtemariam Kassa, Mulugeta Lemenh and Bruce Campbell

The Role And Management Of Eucalyptus In Lode Hetosa District, Central Ethiopia

 

Abstract

The growing demand for construction and fuel wood and the wide adaptation of Eucalyptus to the different agro-ecological zones of the country are resulting in increased plantation of Eucalyptus by smallholders, but the policy environment in Ethiopia discourages farmers from planting this exotics. While rural and urban households supported the planting of Eucalyptus, district level politicians opposed its planting, and researchers had reservations about it. The opposition of the politicians appears to be founded on fears of damage to the ecosystem. This study was conducted to examine the contribution of Eucalyptus to meeting wood and cash needs of rural households, on-farm management of Eucalyptus, and the perception of stakeholders in Central Ethiopia about this genus. Of tree species, Eucalyptus was ranked first by farmers, indicating conflicts between policy makers and local communities over market needs for Eucalyptus wood. A market survey showed that 74% of firewood sold in the district capital was Eucalyptus. The tree generated a quarter of annual cash incomes of rural households, and contributed significantly to subsistence. Almost half of the farmers had overstocked their Eucalyptus woodlots, indicating that plantation management needs improving. The study shows that Eucalyptus plays an important role in the livelihoods of smallholders, and that attempts to discourage Eucalyptus, in the absence of viable alternatives, will worsen wood scarcity in the Ethiopian highlands.

 

Keywords: energy, firewood, cash incomes, livelihoods, management, policy, smallholders, wood.

Dereje Tadesse Wakjira and Tadesse Woldemariam Gole

Customary Forest Tenure in Southwest Ethiopia

 

 

Abstract

The importance of forests and forest products for the livelihood of many poor rural people in tropical forest areas is indisputable. In most parts of Africa the forest is a common resource controlled by a mixture of tenure systems involving individual, family, subgroup and larger group rights and duties that operate depending on the product or natural resource concerned. In many cases customary land tenure constitutes a way of managing relationships to forest land in a more flexible, locally adapted way than would be possible under a more centralized approach. This paper explores a customary tenure system of forestland in the Sheka Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) regional state, southwest Ethiopia. This study attempted to define and understand the roles of the customary tenure systems and institutions in conserving forest and improving the livelihood of the local community. A customary forest tenure system, called Kobo, has been practised for over a century by the people in Sheka, regardless of changes in the forest or land use policies at government level. However, apart from recognition of use rights by the central government, the Kobo system has not been, and is not, legally or institutionally supported. Nevertheless, Kobo is recognized by the local community, and has played an important role in maintaining the forest cover of the area. Such a customary tenure system forms a platform from which a participatory forest management approach may be built; such an approach is likely to be more effective than establishing a new institution with new user groups. However care must be taken to include socially excluded members of the community.   Customary tenure systems and local differences in forest or land policies need to be recognized for the sustainable use of the forest resources. Presently, in Ethiopia, this recognition is de facto limited to local government institutions.

 

Key words; conservation, forest land, forest policy, forest products, honey, ‘kobo’

 

RESEARCH NOTES

 

Shashi Chauhan,  Bhupendra Singh, B.P. Bhatt and N.P. Todaria

Effects Of The Altitude Of Seed Origin And Storage On The Germination Of Three Terminalia Species, Garhwal Himalaya, India 

 

 

Abstract

 

The effects of the altitudinal range of seed source and storage on germination of Terminalia bellirica (Gaertner) Roxb., T. chebula Retz. and T. tomentosa (Roxb.) Wight and Arn were investigated by collecting seeds of each species from 8 sites covering an altitudinal range of 450-1000, 820-1350 and 640-1400m asl, respectively.

• Seed weight of T. bellirica was inversely correlated with altitude, whereas that of T. tomentosa was positively correlated with altitude.
• Seed weight was inversely correlated with germination percentage for T. bellirica and T. chebula, but positively correlated for T. tomentosa.
• Germination percentage was positively correlated with altitude in T. chebula and T. tomentosa
• Germination at 25⁰C constant temperature in all 3 Terminalia species, gave average percentages of 91, 96 and 87% respectively for T. bellirica, T. chebula and T. tomentosa.
• Germination percentage of all species was inversely correlated with length of storage.  Storage at 4⁰C did not improve retention of viability over that at room temperature.

Key words: seed provenance, storage, seed viability, seed size, seed sources, seed weight, storage, temperature.

 

 

U.K. Sahoo*, K. Upadhyaya And H. Lalrempuia

Effect Of Pretreatment And Temperature On The Germination Behaviour Of Seeds Of Parkia roxburghii G Don

 

Abstract

Parkia roxburghii G Don is an important multipurpose tree species of Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland, India; the pods and seeds are used by the local people as a dietary supplement. Some aspects of the influence of seed pretreatment and temperature on germination behaviour of the species are reported in this paper. An alternate temperature regime was found to enhance germination percentage but delayed the germination process - irrespective of the pretreatment method applied. Of the various pretreatments applied, nicking the hard seed coat gave the best result.

 

Key words: germination percentage, germination time,  temperature, nicking, Mizoram, India