ABSTRACT
Forests in Botswana are threatened by unsustainable uses and conversion to alternative land uses. In spite of the consequences of forest degradation and biodiversity, loss and reliance of communities on forest livelihoods, there is little empirical data on the role of forest resources in the livelihoods of the local communities. Guided by the Sustainable Livelihood framework, the chapter assesses the contribution of forest resources in local community livelihoods and its implications on resource conservation. Socio-economic, demographic and forest use data were obtained by interviewing 183 households in three (3) villages adjacent to the Chobe Forest Reserve (CFR). A forest product market survey was undertaken to determine the prices of various forest products for valuation of forest use. In this study, more than nine tree species were utilised in various forest products. The results of the study show that forest income was significant among households, contributing approximately 50% of total household income. However, forest income was not statistically significant (p =.67) across the study sites. The largest proportion of the forest income was derived from fuelwood, followed by construction materials, thatching grass and least being wild fruits.
These results provide valuable information on the role of forest resources to livelihoods and could be applied in developing forest conservation policies for enhanced ecosystem services and livelihoods. Of particular interest by the government is the opening up of forest reserves for ecotourism purposes, which could be one of the interventions in forest management, to be integrated with other forest uses.
It is recommended to offer provision of skills development training and financial support for the installation of renewable and alternative energy technologies to minimise the use of forest resources. There is also a pressing need to facilitate specific interventions that enable forest resources to play a greater role in livelihoods through improved local forest governance. More researches on assessing the role of community forestry management in biodiversity conservation should be conducted, and also ex-situ conservation interventions are critical for biodiversity conservation. In the case of Botswana, where most remaining forests are under the control of government institutions, ecotourism development offers local people opportunities to become more involved in the management of their neighbouring forests and, at the same time, to see material benefits from those forests.
