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Dependence on environmental resources and implications for household welfare: Evidence from the Kalahari drylands, South Africa

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  • Thondhlana, Gladman
  • Muchapondwa, Edwin

Abstract

This paper examines dependence on environmental resources and impacts on household welfare among the indigenous San and Mier rural communities neighbouring Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa. Data on the various household income types, including environmental income, were collected through a structured survey of 200 households. Environmental income constituted 20% of the total income. The poorest income quintile showed the highest relative dependence on environmental income (31%), though absolute environmental income increased with total income.

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  • Thondhlana, Gladman & Muchapondwa, Edwin, 2014. "Dependence on environmental resources and implications for household welfare: Evidence from the Kalahari drylands, South Africa," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 59-67.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:108:y:2014:i:c:p:59-67
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.10.003
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    3. Mugido, Worship & Shackleton, Charlie M., 2018. "Price Determination of Non-timber Forest Products in Different Areas of South Africa," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 597-606.
    4. Johane Dikgang & Edwin Muchapondwa, 2016. "The Effect of Land Restitution on Poverty Reduction among the Khomani San “Bushmen” in South Africa," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 84(1), pages 63-80, March.
    5. Nguyen, Trung Thanh & Do, Truong Lam & Bühler, Dorothee & Hartje, Rebecca & Grote, Ulrike, 2015. "Rural livelihoods and environmental resource dependence in Cambodia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 282-295.
    6. Ntuli, Herbert & Mukong, Alfred Kechia & Kimengsi, Jude Ndzifon, 2022. "Institutions and environmental resource extraction within local communities in Mozambique," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    7. Peter Tshepiso Ndhlovu & Abiodun Olusola Omotayo & Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu & Wilfred Otang-Mbeng, 2020. "Herbal-Based Cosmeceuticals and Economic Sustainability among Women in South African Rural Communities," Economies, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-14, June.
    8. Qi Sun & Yunli Bai & Chao Fu & Xiangbo Xu & Mingxing Sun & Baodong Cheng & Linxiu Zhang, 2022. "Heterogeneous Effects of Skill Training on Rural Livelihoods around Four Biosphere Reserves in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-22, September.
    9. Pedro Andrés Garzón Delvaux & Sergio Gomez y Paloma, 2018. "Access to common resources and food security: Evidence from National Surveys in Nigeria," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(1), pages 121-140, February.
    10. Ma, Ben & Cai, Zhen & Zheng, Jie & Wen, Yali, 2019. "Conservation, ecotourism, poverty, and income inequality – A case study of nature reserves in Qinling, China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 236-244.
    11. Qi Wen & Jin Li & Kevin M. Mwenda & Daniel Ervin & Maya Chatterjee & David Lopez‐Carr, 2022. "Coal exploitation and income inequality: Testing the resource curse with econometric analyses of household survey data from northwestern China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(1), pages 452-469, March.
    12. Walelign, Solomon Zena & Charlery, Lindy & Smith-Hall, Carsten & Chhetri, Bir Bahadur Khanal & Larsen, Helle Overgaard, 2016. "Environmental income improves household-level poverty assessments and dynamics," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 23-35.
    13. Dehghani Pour, Milad & Motiee, Naser & Barati, Ali Akbar & Taheri, Fatemeh & Azadi, Hossein & Gebrehiwot, Kindeya & Lebailly, Philippe & Van Passel, Steven & Witlox, Frank, 2017. "Impacts of the Hara Biosphere Reserve on Livelihood and Welfare in Persian Gulf," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 76-86.
    14. Ntuli, Herbert & Muchapondwa, Edwin, 2017. "Effects of wildlife resources on community welfare in Southern Africa," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 572-583.
    15. Hussein Luswaga & Ernst-August Nuppenau, 2022. "Non-timber forest products income and inequality status for communities around West Usambara Mountain Forests in Tanzania," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(10), pages 11651-11675, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Kalahari drylands; Environmental resources; Indigenous people; Dependence; Poverty; Heterogeneity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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