Papers by Sheona Shackleton
Landscape and Urban Planning, 2021
• Developed eight-part framework of barriers distinct to peri-urban UGI implementation. • 832 hou... more • Developed eight-part framework of barriers distinct to peri-urban UGI implementation. • 832 households surveyed and 118 key informants interviewed. • 18 forms of green infrastructure and 47 derived ecosystem services determined. • Scale up co-designed restoration, monitoring, coordination, and cost-benefit analyses. • Limit ecosystem disservices by managing waste, faecal contamination, and crime.
Restoration Ecology, 2021
Investments in the restoration of ecological infrastructure are often promoted as a strategy to a... more Investments in the restoration of ecological infrastructure are often promoted as a strategy to achieve win–win outcomes for people and the environment, and often involve the creation of temporary employment. Nevertheless, few studies have attempted to quantify the socio‐economic benefits among workers employed across multiple ecological infrastructure programs. This article examines how workers involved in ecological infrastructure activities perceive the benefits from their employment, and whether their perceptions of benefits correspond with the objectives of the programs. The analysis is based on a case study from the Western Cape, South Africa. We carried out a survey with 175 workers employed by 10 different local programs. The survey was designed to target a broad array of potential benefits including natural, physical, social, financial, and human assets, in order to extend beyond simple measures of income and employment. We find that workers primarily see the program benefits in terms of improved income and short‐term employment, while their natural and physical assets are perceived to be affected less. This is in line with the initial objectives of the ecological infrastructure programs in the Western Cape, since these are not targeting community‐based restoration due to the absence of shared community land. Instead, they are designed to pursue poverty alleviation and social development through short‐term income opportunities drawing on a public works model.
Sustainability, 2018
Concerns about ecological degradation and social inequalities have prompted increasing calls for ... more Concerns about ecological degradation and social inequalities have prompted increasing calls for stewardship in the social–ecological systems and sustainability science literature. However, how can the ideals of stewardship be realised in practice? The links between the theory and practice of stewardship are under-developed, and research to support place-based stewardship practice is limited. We therefore bring together complementary perspectives to guide research on place-based stewardship practice in the context of multifunctional landscapes. We unpack and synthesise literature on stewardship, landscapes, and collaboration for natural resource management, and highlight the ways in which the pathways approach can deepen research on collaboration and stewardship practice. We propose landscapes as a suitable level of analysis and action for stewardship. Since all landscapes are multifunctional, we argue that collaboration among multiple stakeholders is a necessary focus of such resea...
Journal of Arid Environments, 2017
Across the globe, many invasive alien plants were purposefully introduced because of their useful... more Across the globe, many invasive alien plants were purposefully introduced because of their usefulness. These plants continue to provide multiple goods and services, such as fodder, fuelwood, medicines, fruits, shade and aesthetic appeal. However, as they invade negative impacts arise. This often leads to conflicts of interests and trade-offs between the benefits and costs of these species and, ultimately, the environment and local livelihoods. Traditionally, invasive plant species research in dryland systems has tended to focus on the impacts of these species on large-scale natural systems, primarily rangelands and river courses. Limited work has been undertaken regarding the role of these species in providing services and disservices within homesteads and settlements in these harsh environments. Such knowledge is important with regards to management. The primary aim of this study was therefore to assess the assimilation of invasive plant species into the lives of households in several small farming settlements in the arid Kalahari region of the Northern Cape, South Africa. Specific objectives were to: 1) assess the diversity, prevalence and size structure of invasive plants in resident's homesteads; 2) identify sources, local practices, knowledge and beliefs related to the invasive plants present as well as local management practices; and 3) understand residents' perceptions of the ecosystem services and disservices these species deliver. To do this, we used household and 'drive-past' surveys, in-depth interviews and measurement of plants in homesteads. From the 'drive-past' survey, we identified 12 officially listed and one proposed invasive plant species in the settlements, 10 of which were covered in the household survey. Eight native tree species were also present, but these were at much lower frequency and density than introduced species. Thirteen different goods and services from the invasive plants were recognised with the most common being shade, aesthetics and fuelwood. Some species, such as Morus alba and Opuntia ficus-indica, were important for fruit, while eight species were mentioned as being used for fodder. Respondents also mentioned that O. ficus-indica, Prosopis spp., Leucaena leucocephala and Melia azedarach imposed costs. These disservices included reductions in water supply, damage to buildings and human health impacts. Some of these species were also perceived to be spreading beyond homesteads in some settlements and invading rangeland. Less than a quarter of households had no invasive plants in their yards, and these were mainly new dwellings in the growing informal areas around the settlements. Invasive plants were obtained from variety of sources suggesting various pathways of introduction. We conclude by discussing some options for management focusing on Prosopis, as the invasive plant perceived to most rapidly expanding and generating the most disservices. We also highlight what further research is needed with regard to filling research gaps on invasive plant species within social-ecological systems in arid areas.
Land, 2015
This paper seeks to understand the drivers and pathways of local livelihood change and the prospe... more This paper seeks to understand the drivers and pathways of local livelihood change and the prospects for transformation towards a more sustainable future. Data are used from several studies, and a participatory social learning process, which formed part of a larger project in two sites in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Secondary information from a wealth of related work is used to place our results within the historic context and more general trends in the country. Findings indicate that livelihoods in the rural Eastern Cape are on new trajectories. Agricultural production has declined markedly, at a time when the need for diversification of livelihoods and food security seems to be at a premium. This decline is driven by a suite of drivers that interact with, and are influenced by, other changes and stresses affecting local livelihoods. We distil out the factors, ranging from historical processes to national policies and local dynamics, that hamper peoples' motivation and ability to respond to locally identified vulnerabilities and, which, when taken together, could drive households into a trap. We end by considering the transformations required to help local people evade traps and progress towards a more promising future in a context of increasing uncertainty.
Bruce M. Campbell of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has undertaken resear... more Bruce M. Campbell of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has undertaken research in southern Africa for 20 years, with recent work on issues at the interface of economics, sociology and ecology, including work on ecological economics of rangeland management systems, systems perspectives on forestry co-management arrangements, community-based natural resource management and common property management. Sheona Shackleton is a natural resource management consultant affiliated to the Environmental Science Programme at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. Her current areas of research interest include natural resource utilisation and valuation in communal lands; common property management and the institutional aspects of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM); rural livelihood systems; and the commercialisation and marketing of non-timber forest products. She has worked throughout South Africa but has concentrated most of her efforts in the savanna woodlands in the north of the country.
Land, 2020
The need to recognize diverse actors, their knowledge and values is being widely promoted as crit... more The need to recognize diverse actors, their knowledge and values is being widely promoted as critical for sustainability in contemporary land use, natural resource management and conservation initiatives. However, in much of the case study literature, the value of including indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in the management and governance of landscapes tends to be overlooked and undervalued. Understanding ILK as comprising indigenous, local and traditional knowledge, this systematic review synthesizes how ILK has been viewed and incorporated into landscape-based studies; what processes, mechanisms and areas of focus have been used to integrate it; and the challenges and opportunities that arise in doing so. Queries from bibliographic databases (Web of Science, JSTOR, Scopus and Africa Wide) were employed. Findings from the review underscore that the literature and case studies that link landscapes and ILK are dominated by a focus on agricultural systems, followed by social-ecolo...
• Value chains for forest products provide full and part-time work for women in many developing c... more • Value chains for forest products provide full and part-time work for women in many developing countries. Jobs are poorly paid but offer flexible working arrangements. • Women have a low profile in these value chains because their input is either informal or is perceived to have little worth. • The invisibility of women in forest product value chains means that policy makers often overlook women's needs. Policy and practice rarely directly support women and may, in some cases, even criminalise them. Broad policies that promote women's development seldom translate into action on the ground. Specific policies that support women working in forest product value chains may substantially improve benefits for women. • Socio-cultural, religious, technical, policy and institutional barriers prevent women from working and trading in forest product value chains. Overcoming these is challenging. Understanding the roles women take in forest value chains is a prerequisite for finding ways to help them overcome these obstacles. • Encouraging and strengthening collective action among women can improve their opportunities in value chains for forest products. Women only groups encourage women more than mixed-gender groups. Groups for women working in value chains for forest products can build on existing women's self-help or social groups. However, women only groups need to be provided with literacy and skills training, and technologies suited to women. • The diversity of value chains mean there is no single way forward. Nevertheless, a better understanding of the position of women in value chains and their preferences is a step towards devising strategies to empower specific groups of women, in specific value chains in specific contexts. Forests Gender and value chains No. 20 www.cifor.org www.blog.cifor.org Center for International Forestry Research CIFOR advances human wellbeing, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to inform policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. CIFOR is one of 15 centres within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CIFOR's headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia. It also has offices in Asia, Africa and South America.
... Its contribution to poverty alleviation or mitigation should not be underestimated by develop... more ... Its contribution to poverty alleviation or mitigation should not be underestimated by development agencies. ... There are no national or regional estimates of the numbers of people or households involved in South Africa, on either an ad hoc or semi-permanent basis, but it is ...
This book sets out the findings of research conducted into the links between ecosystem services a... more This book sets out the findings of research conducted into the links between ecosystem services and poverty alleviation in Southern Africa. It follows from extensive primary research conducted in the region, as well as intensive engagement with researchers, policy-makers and relevant institutions in several countries in southern Africa, as part of the Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation Programme led by DFI, NERC and ESRC.
Land Use Policy, 2014
Most developing countries of the world are experiencing large-scale migration from rural to urban... more Most developing countries of the world are experiencing large-scale migration from rural to urban areas. Many new migrants end up in low-cost or informal areas and slums with attendant environmental concerns. One dimension of improved urban sustainability is the provision of green spaces and trees. Whilst many countries have urban greening programmes for public spaces and streets, few have considered the status and potential contribution of trees from resident's own gardens. This paper reports firstly on the policy environment for urban forestry and greening in South Africa and secondly on the maintenance, use and appreciation of trees on private homesteads of residents of new and older low-income suburbs as well as informal housing areas from three small towns in South Africa. In particular we examine if the most recent centrally planned and built low-income housing schemes (called RDP suburbs in South Africa) have considered and incorporated plans or spaces for urban greenery in peoples' homesteads. We found that broad environmental and sustainability concerns and statements are common in urban development and housing policies, but specific guidelines for implementation are generally absent. More specifically, urban forestry and tree planting are rarely mentioned in the broader land use and environmental policies other than the national forest act and subsequent regulations, but even there it is relatively superficial. In the study towns the prevalence, density and number of species of trees was lowest in the new RDP suburbs relative to the township and informal areas. Consequently, the contribution of tree products to local livelihoods was also lower in the RDP areas. Yet there were no differences in the level of appreciation of the value and intangible benefits of trees between residents from the three different suburbs. This shows that the failure to plan for and accommodate trees in new low-cost housing developments is missing an opportunity to improve overall urban sustainability and liveability and constraining the potential flows of tangible and intangible benefits to urban residents. Making opportunities for such in older suburbs is challenging because of space limitations and cost implications of retrospective provisions, but incorporation into plans for new low-cost housing development should be possible.
… Community Forestry Project, Department of Water …, 1997
... Sheona E. Shackleton, Rhodes University Charlie M. Shackleton, Rhodes University Rachel Wynbe... more ... Sheona E. Shackleton, Rhodes University Charlie M. Shackleton, Rhodes University Rachel Wynberg, University of Cape Town Caroline A. Sullivan, Southern Cross University Rodger RB Leakey, James Cook University Myles Mander, University of Natal Tania McHardy Saskia ...
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Papers by Sheona Shackleton