Low -cost housing needs, wood use and woodlands
1993
Cunningham, A. B.
Woodlands, wetlands and forests provide an important source of construction timber for rural people throughout Southern Africa. The extent of use of wood varies with architectural style, which is influenced by cultural preferences and the variety of materials available. Proximity to Phragmites australis wetlands, for example, results in extensive use of tall reeds for low-cost housing and low wood use. By contrast, the absence of reedbeds and proximity of thickets or woodlands can result in extensive wood use. The Owambo region of northern Namibia is a good example of this. There are no Phragmites wetlands in this semi-arid communal area, but extensive areas are covered by Colophospermum mopane or Terminalia sericea - Hyphaene petersiana woodland. The traditional architectural style in Owambo has a higher timber requirement than any other form of traditional architecture in East, Central or Southern Africa. High wood consumption for this purpose has resulted in marked changes to structure and species composition of C. mopane and T. sericea woodlands. Termite-resistant tree species that are favoured for building purposes have disappeared from much of the Owambo region. Local responses to scarcity of wood are discussed and the need for sustainable management of remaining woodland is stressed. Approaches to resolving this issue are not uniformly applicable across Southern Africa, but differ markedly from the moist east coast to the arid west coast, varying respectively from high rainfall sites where artificial regeneration is most applicable to low rainfall sites where managed natural regeneration is essential.
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