Scientific publication (e.g., journal articles and book chapters independently peer-reviewed)
Governance and Access to Edible Mopane Caterpillars, Imbrasia (=Gonimbrasia) Belina, in the Context of Commercialization and Environmental Change in South Africa
Unknown/not recorded
Is the species endemic HIDE
No
Population Status
Common and wildly distributed
Unknown/not recorded
National Level
Unknown/not recorded
Threats/Pressures impacting the conservation of the species
Changes to land cover and the over-exploitation of mopane worms were common narratives across all tenurial regimes. However, perceptions of negative environmental change were more pronounced in communally managed areas, perhaps due to the multiple uses of mopane tree and pressures. This includes
uses for energy, construction, medicinal uses, and settlement expansion in communal areas.
Population Trend
Unknown/not recorded
Sub-national Level
Unknown/not recorded
Name
Emma Hemmerlé
Scientific Name
Imbrasia belina
Common Name(s)
Mopane worm
Mopane caterpillar
Emperor moth
Type of Use
Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)
If extractive, for the target species, is this use
Communal areas of the study (located primarily within the former Venda and Gazankulu homeland areas) are
administered locally by tribal authorities which play a vital role in
regulating the mopane worm harvest in communal areas. However, people harvesting in communal areas when not residents were expected to get permission from the traditional authorities before harvest commenced. However, people from outside the community rarely requested permission from tribal authorities. Reports from all communally managed areas surveyed suggested large numbers of outsiders coming from far away begin harvesting without making their presence known.
Provide Details of resource rights regime where relevant
Across the three tenurial regimes, a plethora of rules, regulations and management objectives regulate the access, use and management of mopane worm resources.
The study was conducted across nine sites in Limpopo Province – Dzumeri, Ha Gumbu, Makhuva, Masisi, Matiyani, Mopane, Mphambo, Nkomo, Zwigodini and Thohoyandou.
Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)
National external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
International external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
If more than one box ticked, please provide more details
National external are harvesters from the cities and nearby villages
International external are migrant harvesters that primarily harvest mopane worms on communal lands.
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Yes – use is negatively affecting the status (e.g., population is declining; extraction effort is increasing)
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out
In communally managed areas, there was an apparent breakdown in traditional governance systems and the high costs of controlling access to unpredictable and wide-ranging mopane worm populations, increasing commercialization of
the mopane worm resource and competing uses of the mopane tree undermine the effectiveness of this regime. Given the ongoing dysfunctionality of governance, the ability of the communal property regime in
these areas to provide sustained access to mopane worm resources in the long term is thus doubtful. It may well be, however, that elsewhere in the region, communal areas provide a much higher level of changes to land cover and the over-exploitation of mopane worms were common narratives across all tenurial regimes.
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
As a key rural industry, mopane worm commercialization provides an important income source for households either through formal or informal trade, with harvesters and traders using profits for buying farm inputs, household provisions, paying school fees and health care
Mopane worm commercialization provides an important income source for households either through formal or informal trade, with harvesters and traders using profits to pay for school fees and health care
Mopane worm commercialization provides an important income source for households either through formal or informal trade, with harvesters and traders using profits to pay for health care
Other Socio-Economic Impacts
As customary systems have eroded, and commercialisation has increased, communal areas have seemingly become less controlled with associated resource degradation.
Has any assessment of socio-economic sustainability been recorded
No assessment recorded
Details of assessment
The degradation and decline of mopane worm resources pose a threat to the most marginalized harvesters, who lack the capital and social relationships necessary to maintain access through another system. Harvesters
attempting to maintain access to mopane worm resources on tribal authority lands may increasingly be forced to negotiate access through other property rights regimes.
Has the use of the species been recorded as resulting in changes to human health in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the species in use been noted as being of particular disease risk to humans?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the use of the species resulted in changes to animal welfare in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Are there particular practices which have increased the risk to human or animal health or welfare in the use of this species?
Unknown/not recorded
Does the use of this species increase susceptibility to pathogen spread?
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Strong community governance/institutions/rights for wildlife management
Absent
Supportive policy and legislative framework
Absent
Adequate capacity to implement and enforce governance arrangements
Absent
Good alignment of legal protections with local cultural values and traditional
Absent
Support from NGOs
Absent
Support from Government
Absent
High financial returns from use
Absent
Abundant population of target species
Absent
Biological characteristics of target species
Absent
Capacity building of community
Absent
Establishment and implementation of species and/or area management plan
Absent
Effective private sector approach engagement through certification
Sekonya, J. G., et al. (2020). New Pressures, Old Foodways: Governance and Access to Edible Mopane Caterpillars, Imbrasia (=Gonimbrasia). International Journal of the Commons, 14(1), pp. 139–153. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ ijc.978
the paper suggests the over exploitation of the resource, at least on communal lands. This does not appear to be the case in private and public managed lands.
Threats/pressures impacting the species at the scale of this record