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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Unsustainable fuelwood extraction from South African savannas
Environmental Research Letters, Volume 8, No. 1, Article 014007, Year 2013
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Description
Wood and charcoal supply the majority of sub-Saharan Africa's rural energy needs. The long-term supply of fuelwood is in jeopardy given high consumption rates. Using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), we mapped and investigated savanna aboveground biomass across contrasting land uses, ranging from densely populated communal areas to highly protected areas in the Lowveld savannas of South Africa. We combined the LiDAR observations with socio-economic data, biomass production rates and fuelwood consumption rates in a supply-demand model to predict future fuelwood availability. LiDAR-based biomass maps revealed disturbance gradients around settlements up to 1.5 km, corresponding to the maximum distance walked to collect fuelwood. At current levels of fuelwood consumption (67% of households use fuelwood exclusively, with a 2% annual reduction), we calculate that biomass in the study area will be exhausted within thirteen years. We also show that it will require a 15% annual reduction in consumption for eight years to a level of 20% of households using fuelwood before the reduction in biomass appears to stabilize to sustainable levels. The severity of dwindling fuelwood reserves in African savannas underscores the importance of providing affordable energy for rural economic development. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Wessels, Konrad Johan
South Africa, Pretoria
Meraka Institute
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Colgan, Matthew S.
United States, Washington, D.c.
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Erasmus, Barend F.N.
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand
Asner, Gregory P.
United States, Washington, D.c.
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Twine, Wayne C.
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand
Mathieu, Renaud
South Africa, Pretoria
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
van Aardt, Jan Andreas N.
United States, Rochester
Rochester Institute of Technology
Fisher, J. T.
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand
Smit, Izak P.J.
South Africa, Pretoria
South African National Parks
Statistics
Citations: 74
Authors: 9
Affiliations: 7
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/014007
e-ISSN:
17489326
Study Locations
South Africa