DETERMINATION OF SUSTAINABILITY OF ALOE HARVESTING EMPOWERMENT PROJECT IN THE EMNAMBITHI (FORMER LADYSMITH) MUNICIPALITY, KWAZULU NATAL by DONNETTE ROSS MINI-DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree MAGISTER SCIENTAE in ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT in the FACULTY OF SCIENCE at the UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG Supervisor: Dr. J.M. Meeuwis December 2005 Page vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................ i OPSOMMING......................................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................... v PART 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 POVERTY IN AFRICA ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.2 POVERTY IN SOUTH AFRICA ................................................................................................................... 3 1.1.3 PROPOSED SOLUTION FOR POVERTY RELIEF IN THE EMNAMBITHI - LADYSMITH MUNICIPALITY .......... 4 1.1.4 THE ALOE INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA ................................................................................................. 5 1.1.4.1 Historical overview of the Aloe industry............................................................................................... 5 1.1.4.2 Developments in the South African Aloe Industry ............................................................................... 7 1.1.4.3 The demand for indigenous medicines .................................................................................................. 8 1.1.4.4 Ecological considerations....................................................................................................................... 9 1.1.4.5 Sustainable plant use.............................................................................................................................. 11 1.1.4.6 Production capacity................................................................................................................................ 13 1.1.5 SOCIAL ASPECTS OF THE COMMISSIONING OF THE PROPOSED ALOE PILOT PLANT IN LADYSMITH............................................................................................................................................. 13 1.1.5.1 Gender involvement ............................................................................................................................... 13 1.1.5.2 Current income levels............................................................................................................................. 14 1.1.5.3 Additional income to be generated from an Aloe pre- processing plant .............................................. 14 1.1.5.4 Members of households who will benefit from the proposed Aloe pre-processing plant.................... 15 1.1.6 TARGET SPECIES - ALOE MARLOTHII........................................................................................................ 15 1.1.6.1 Brief description of the target species.................................................................................................... 15 1.1.6.2 Brief botanical description of Aloe marlothii ........................................................................................ 15 1.1.6.3 Distribution of Aloe marlothii................................................................................................................ 17 1.1.6.4 Preferred habitat of Aloe marlothii ........................................................................................................ 17 1.1.6.5 Traditional use of Aloe marlothii in South Africa................................................................................. 20 1.2 PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY................................................................................................................ 20 1.2.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION................................................................................................... 20 1.2.2 MAIN AIM OF THIS STUDY ....................................................................................................................... 21 1.2.3 IMPORTANCE OF THIS STUDY .................................................................................................................. 21 Page vii PART 2: PROBLEM STATEMENT .................................................................................................................. 23 PART 3: METHODOLOGY................................................................................................................................ 25 3.1 DATA TO BE COLLECTED................................................................................................................ 25 3.1.1 EXISTING INFORMATION ......................................................................................................................... 25 3.1.2 NEW DATA TO BE COLLECTED................................................................................................................. 26 3.2 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION.................................................................................................. 26 3.2.1 DELINEATION OF THE STUDY AREA......................................................................................................... 27 3.2.2 POTENTIAL HABITAT FOR ALOE MARLOTHII WITHIN THE STUDY AREA ................................................... 29 3.2.3 SAMPLE PLOTS ........................................................................................................................................ 29 3.2.4 DETERMINATION OF SIZE AND DENSITY OF ALOE MARLOTHII POPULATIONS .......................................... 35 3.2.5 DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO COULD BENEFIT FROM HARVESTING ALOE MARLOTHII FROM THESE AREAS................................................................................................................................. 35 3.2.6 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO POTENTIAL PROBLEMS OF OVER-HARVESTING ............................................... 35 PART 4: GENERAL SITE DESCRIPTION...................................................................................................... 36 4.1 LOCATION............................................................................................................................................ 36 4.2 ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCING FACTORS.............................................................................. 39 4.2.1 CLIMATE ................................................................................................................................................. 39 4.2.3 TOPOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................................... 41 4.2.4 SOIL......................................................................................................................................................... 41 4.2.5 LAND USE................................................................................................................................................ 44 4.2.6 VEGETATION ........................................................................................................................................... 45 4.2.7 HISTORY OF LADYSMITH ........................................................................................................................ 46 4.2.8 REGIONAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STRUCTURE ..................................................................................... 47 4.2.8.1 Population structure........................................................................................................ 47 4.2.8.2 Culture ............................................................................................................................. 47 4.2.8.3 Economic Activities........................................................................................................ 48 PART 5: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION........................................................................................................... 50 5.1 RESULTS............................................................................................................................................... 50 5.1.1 NUMBER OF ALOE MARLOTHII SPECIMENS PER SAMPLE PLOT ................................................................. 50 5.1.2 AREA OF IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL HABITAT UNITS................................................................................... 51 5.1.3 DENSITY ZONES AND ALOE MARLOTHII POPULATION SIZE ...................................................................... 54 5.2 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................................ 62 Page viii 5.2.1 WARD 10................................................................................................................................................. 62 5.2.2