An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development

Societal Impact Statement: Understanding the perceptions of benefits and threats from trees is important for the livelihoods of communities. The study used focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and a questionnaire survey of 226 households in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa....

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Main Authors: Tsvuura, S., Mudhara, M., Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129132
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author Tsvuura, S.
Mudhara, M.
Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe
author_browse Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe
Mudhara, M.
Tsvuura, S.
author_facet Tsvuura, S.
Mudhara, M.
Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe
author_sort Tsvuura, S.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Societal Impact Statement: Understanding the perceptions of benefits and threats from trees is important for the livelihoods of communities. The study used focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and a questionnaire survey of 226 households in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The findings showed that household socio-economic factors such as gender and land tenure influenced perceptions of tree growing, and households that were involved in a tree restoration project viewed trees as contributing toward their livelihoods by reducing hunger. Hence there is a need to design strategies that promote socio-economic inclusivity of all households and genders and promote programs that increase awareness of ecosystem services within communities. Summary: Understanding the socio-economic factors that shape the way households value and utilize natural resources is critical in developing nature-based solutions. The study was aimed at understanding how the socio-economic circumstances of households determined their perceptions of the role of trees in livelihood delivery. A case study of Buffelsdraai and Osindisweni communities was used; these sites are adjacent to a municipal landfill where a tree restoration project intended to mitigate the effects of climate change is being implemented, and some of the households are involved in this project. The study used focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and a questionnaire survey of 226 households. It explored gender perspectives on the perceived benefits and threats of tree restoration. It analyzed the influence of households' economic characteristics and spatial configuration (the subdivisions of the landscape) to assess the impact of land tenure. The findings showed that gender influenced the perceptions that economic benefits can be derived from participating in the project. Households involved in the tree restoration project viewed trees as contributing to their livelihoods by reducing hunger. Households in peri-urban settlements, permanently resident in the area, showed greater reliance on natural resources than those in informal settlements and rural areas. Such differences can be attributed to differences in land tenure. Hence, there is a need to design strategies and operations that promote socio-economic inclusivity of all households and genders and reduce inequality. These findings are important for informing scaling to yield better climate change considerations and policies.
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spelling CGSpace1291322025-12-08T10:06:44Z An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development Tsvuura, S. Mudhara, M. Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe trees restoration community development livelihoods socioeconomic aspects gender women natural resources nature conservation sustainable development goals climate change land tenure landfills poverty Societal Impact Statement: Understanding the perceptions of benefits and threats from trees is important for the livelihoods of communities. The study used focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and a questionnaire survey of 226 households in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The findings showed that household socio-economic factors such as gender and land tenure influenced perceptions of tree growing, and households that were involved in a tree restoration project viewed trees as contributing toward their livelihoods by reducing hunger. Hence there is a need to design strategies that promote socio-economic inclusivity of all households and genders and promote programs that increase awareness of ecosystem services within communities. Summary: Understanding the socio-economic factors that shape the way households value and utilize natural resources is critical in developing nature-based solutions. The study was aimed at understanding how the socio-economic circumstances of households determined their perceptions of the role of trees in livelihood delivery. A case study of Buffelsdraai and Osindisweni communities was used; these sites are adjacent to a municipal landfill where a tree restoration project intended to mitigate the effects of climate change is being implemented, and some of the households are involved in this project. The study used focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and a questionnaire survey of 226 households. It explored gender perspectives on the perceived benefits and threats of tree restoration. It analyzed the influence of households' economic characteristics and spatial configuration (the subdivisions of the landscape) to assess the impact of land tenure. The findings showed that gender influenced the perceptions that economic benefits can be derived from participating in the project. Households involved in the tree restoration project viewed trees as contributing to their livelihoods by reducing hunger. Households in peri-urban settlements, permanently resident in the area, showed greater reliance on natural resources than those in informal settlements and rural areas. Such differences can be attributed to differences in land tenure. Hence, there is a need to design strategies and operations that promote socio-economic inclusivity of all households and genders and reduce inequality. These findings are important for informing scaling to yield better climate change considerations and policies. 2023-05 2023-02-28T23:19:54Z 2023-02-28T23:19:54Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129132 en Open Access Wiley Tsvuura, S.; Mudhara, M.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2023. An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development. Plants, People, Planet, 5(3):424-436. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10364]
spellingShingle trees
restoration
community development
livelihoods
socioeconomic aspects
gender
women
natural resources
nature conservation
sustainable development goals
climate change
land tenure
landfills
poverty
Tsvuura, S.
Mudhara, M.
Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe
An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development
title An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development
title_full An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development
title_fullStr An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development
title_full_unstemmed An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development
title_short An analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development
title_sort analysis of the perceived societal benefits of and threats from trees for the delivery of livelihoods and community development
topic trees
restoration
community development
livelihoods
socioeconomic aspects
gender
women
natural resources
nature conservation
sustainable development goals
climate change
land tenure
landfills
poverty
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129132
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