Abstract
Biosphere Reserves (BRs) seek to reconcile a sustainable relationship between human welfare and environmental integrity through a multi‐stakeholder system which fosters long‐term environmental conservation and development. Since the inception, humans have continued to influence the landscapes in the BRs. For effective environmental conservation, the management in BRs must reconcile trade‐offs between conservation and development, and address the pressures placed by humans on the environmental resources. The Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) is considered among the important landscapes which contain important biological and cultural resources that need to be conserved. Understanding human interactions with the natural environment can be an important strategy that will better enhance the sustainable ecosystem management. As a result, this study assessed natural resource utilization and Land Use ‐ Land Cover (LU‐LC) dynamics in the VBR of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. Primary data were collected by means of a mixed research method. A questionnaire‐administered survey was conducted on 310 household respondents and 50 tourists. Remote Sensing technique were used to collect information on the LU‐LC dynamics of the study area. The quantitative data collected from the questionnaire survey was analysed using descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequency counts, and mean scores as well as inferential statistics like Chi‐Square test, Kruskal‐Wallis H test, Mann‐Whitney U test and Principal Component Analysis...
Ph.D. (Environmental Management)