Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate the socio-economic benefits stemming from bush clearing
and restoration projects conducted in the Lephalale municipality, within the Limpopo Province of
South Africa. The study was conducted at two sites: the D’Nyala Nature Reserve and a nearby local
village, Shongoane. A qualitative thematic content analysis approach and semi-structured interviews
were used to gather data from 14 purposively selected participants between the ages of 22 and 55
(male = 9 and female = 5). The results indicated that the nature reserve benefited from the project via
the improved visibility of the landscape features and game viewing, which made the reserve more
attractive for tourists and resulted in increased revenue. The costs of buying feed for game could also
be curbed since the grazing capacity increased. Since the nature reserve sourced temporary labour
from the local village to execute the project, the community benefited in terms of members being able
to earn a wage, which led to an improvement in their livelihoods. Another indirect benefit was the
morale and behavioural changes observed amongst community members. It was obvious that the
socio-economic benefits derived from projects such as these far outweigh the negatives and that there
is every reason to institute projects of a similar nature elsewhere.
