UC Riverside

Post-1994 land reform policies have had limited effects on land use in the communities surrounding Dwesa–Cwebe Nature Reserves in South Africa’s Transkei region. Likewise, prior state interventions have largely been resisted and ignored. Instead, community-driven processes, influenced by the regional political economy, have shaped diverse patterns of changes in land use. These relate to the diverse livelihood styles in the area: different patterns of education, labor migration, and consumption have affected local use of land and forest products. Activities planned under land reform, however, may threaten local control of land tenure and use.