Abstract:
This study conducted at Dambwa Forest Reserve in Livingstone, Zambia, evaluated the perception of local people
about joint management of the forest reserve in the area and if there had been improvements to the livelihoods
of the community and the ecological condition of the forest following joint forest management (JFM). Generally,
more people (68%) participated in joint forestry management meetings than in forestry activities, such as forest
patrol and prescribed early burning, and the size of the household significantly influenced the involvement
of community members in JFM activities. The results also showed that the social status of the local community
members played a significant role in their participation in JFM activities, with the forest committee member group
being the most involved (57–61%). The perception of most members of the community was that there were neither
monetary benefits derived from JFM nor any significant improvement in their livelihood following JFM. Although
there were high regeneration levels (10 000 saplings ha−1) for all of the species, among the selected commercial
trees Pterocarpus angolensis, Baikiaea plurijuga and Colophospermum mopane had natural regeneration consisting
of 118, 72 and 67 saplings ha−1, respectively. Overall, 89% of the stems for the selected commercial species were
less than 30 cm DBH, rendering them unsuitable for harvesting. It can be concluded that although the promotion of
community involvement in forest protection and management contributes to regeneration of forest tree species, the
communities did not perceive JFM as having improved their livelihood.
