Fuelwood consumption pattern and its impact on forest structure in Kashmir Himalayas

Abstract

Patrón de consumo de leña y sus impactos en la estructura del bosque en Cachemira, Himalaya SUMMARYFuel wood is the major source of energy for the rural populations of Kashmir Himalayas. Immense fuel wood extraction from the local forests has resulted in deterioration of forest structure. Although, the fuel wood extraction pattern strongly impacts the structure and species composition of natural forests, detailed investigations remain scarce. The current research was designed to quantify fuel wood consumption levels and analyze the dynamics; emphasizing on variations in fuel wood patterns along an altitudinal gradient during different seasons and information about the preferred fuel wood species in western Himalayan forest stands of Kashmir, Pakistan. Forest stands were surveyed by using systematic quadrate sampling to determine the impact of fuel wood harvesting on natural forest structure. Fuel wood consumption per household was estimated in 16.2 Mg year -1 , and 5.9 kg day -1 per capita (ranging from 6.6 kg in summer to 3.9 kg in winter). Consumption at the higher and lower altitudinal villages was recorded as 18.3 and 10.7 Mg annually. Average density for the whole forest stands was calculated to be 73.8 trees ha -1 , whereas deforestation intensity was 52.95 stumps ha . Pinus wallichiana, Abies pindrow and Quercus dilatata were highly exploited species which can lead to the loss of biodiversity and disturbance in the local forests. The results imply that increased fuelwood harvest, combined with low tree density, high population growth and severe climatic conditions, is causing intense forest destruction and associated biodiversity loss. Local forest reserves demand immediate attention in order to conserve the depleting forest structure.Key words: deforestation, altitudinal gradient, climatic conditions, phytosociology. RESUMENLa leña es la principal fuente de energía para poblaciones rurales de Cachemira, Himalaya. Una enorme extracción de leña de bosques locales ha producido deterioro de su estructura. Aunque el patrón de extracción de leña impacta fuertemente la estructura y composición de especies de los bosques naturales, las investigaciones detalladas son escasas. La presente investigación pretendió cuantificar el consumo de leña y analizar su dinámica; se enfatizó en variaciones del patrón de leña a lo largo de un gradiente altitudinal, durante diferentes épocas del año y la identificación de especies preferidas para combustible en bosques del Himalaya occidental de Cachemira, Pakistán. Mediante muestreo sistemático se determinaron impactos de la extracción de leña en la estructura del bosque. El consumo de leña por hogar fue 16,2 Mg año -1 y 5,9 kg día -1 per capita (desde 6,6 kg en verano a 3,9 kg en invierno); en pueblos altitudinalmente superiores e inferiores fue 18,3 y 10,7 Mg anuales, respectivamente. Para el conjunto de bosques, la densidad media fue 73,8 árboles ha -1 , la intensidad de deforestación 52,95 tocones ha -1 y la regeneración 12,87 plantas ha -1 . Pinus wallichiana, Abies pindro...

Temporal Partitioning and Overlapping Use of a Shared Natural Resource by People and Elephants

“…Studies that observed local or regional-level forest degradation linked to fuelwood harvest have concluded that degradation is due to the intersection of diverse factors, including socioeconomic factors like rapid population growth, changing labor supplies, and global markets, as well as environmental factors like low tree density and climactic conditions (Arnold et al, 2006;Mills Busa, 2013;Shaheen et al, 2016). When firewood becomes scarce due to demand that outpaces environmental capacity, rural households will employ a suite of coping strategies, including traveling longer distances to harvest dead wood, harvesting live trees, cooking less frequently or cooking food of lower nutritional value, and cooking with extended family to pool firewood resources (Leach and Mearns, 1988;Dewees, 1989).…”

Effects of the Diversification of Nontimber Forest Products on Human Development in Congo: The Case of Gnetum, Marantaceae and Rattan

“…In these situations, people have difficulty earning income to meet the costs of health care, rent, education and electricity. In the same vein, Mitchell (2004) and Shaheen et al (2016), working on data from Kenya, Congo and Pakistan obtained through focus groups, found that NTFP consumption has positive effects on deforestation and forest degradation, which are not conducive to improving people's living conditions. Two lessons can be drawn from the theoretical and empirical literature.…”

“…The second lesson is that the results in the literature are nonlinear. Some authors (Tabuna, 1999;Koffi et al, 2017) believe that NTFP consumption tends to improve human development, and others (Loubelo & Mialoundama, 2002;Koubouana, 2008;Shaheen et al, 2016) believe that it does not allow populations to cope with urgent and unpredictable household problems (such as health care, water, education and electricity).…”

Climate Change and Fuel Wood Energy Use in Cold Desert of Drass in the Himalaya, India

“…In the Himalayan region, fuel wood is the primary form of biomass energy. It is used for lightening, heating and cooking activities (Dhanai et al, 2014;Shaheen et al, 2016;Singh et al, 2021). Consumption of fuel wood is responsible for severe environmental problems including deforestation, the land degradation and contributes to climate change.…”