ABSTRACT
The contribution of wild natural resources to rural livelihoods in South Africa There are relatively few studies in South Africa that have examined the use of wild natural resources from a livelihoods perspective, even fewer that have estimated or measured the proportion of total income streams of households that can be ascribed to wild resources, and none that have done so in land reform areas. Furthermore, differences in approach make direct comparisons complicated or inappropriate. For example, some include only terrestrial products and omit fishing whereas other include it; some deduct the opportunity costs of own labour when calculating net incomes, others do not. Acknowledging such differences, this section summarizes the few South African studies to date, with comparative data from elsewhere on the continent (Table 9.1).
