Fuelwood availability and consumption in a semi-arid savanna, Zimbabwe

摘要

This paper quantifies fuelwood availability and consumption in two villages and assesses the gap between the two variables as well as local strategies used to fill the gap. Traditional fuelwood collection areas were found to be wooded grasslands, hills and riverine woodlands. About 60 percent of the households in Shambamuto and 67 percent in Svova "B" collected fuelwood from non-woodland sources such as cultivated lands, wooden structures, woodlots and other sources. Standing wood stock household~(-1) was estimated at 19.4 tonnes in Shambamuto and 8.4 tonnes in Svova "B". Such stock had a potential of supplying an average household with fuelwood of 2.5 tonnes year~(-1) in Shambamuto and 1.4 tonnes year~(-1) in Svova "B". Fuelwood consumption was estimated at 4.5 tonnes household~(-1) year~(-1) in Shambamuto and 4.1 tonnes household~(-1) year~(-1) in Svova "B". The villages were found to be experiencing a deficit of 2.0 tonnes household~(-1) year~(-1) in Shambamuto and 2.7 tonnes household~(-1) year~(-1) in Svova "B" Fuelwood procurement from non-woodland sources was found to be a key strategy of enhancing supply while fuelwood supplementation with non-traditional fuels such as maize cobs, cattle dung, root and stump wood was a key strategy of mitigating demand.