Value Chain of Charcoal Production and Implications for Forest Degradation: Case Study of Bié Province, Angola

Abstract

Forest degradation and forest loss threaten the survival of many species and reduce the ability of forests to provide vital services. Clearing for agriculture in Angola is an important driver of forest degradation and deforestation. Charcoal production for urban consumption as a driver of forest degradation has had alarming impacts on natural forests, as well as on the social and economic livelihood of the rural population. The charcoal impact on forest cover change is in the same order of magnitude as deforestation caused by agricultural expansion. However, there is a need to monitor the linkage between charcoal production and forest degradation. The aim of this paper is to investigate the sequence of the charcoal value chain as a systematic key to identify policies to reduce forest degradation in the province of Bié. It is a detailed study of the charcoal value chain that does not stop on the production and the consumption side. The primary data of this study came from 330 respondents obtained through different methods (semi-structured questionnaire survey and market observation conducted in June to September 2013–2014). A logistic regression (logit) model in IBM SPSS Statistics 24 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA) was used to analyze the factors influencing the decision of the households to use charcoal for domestic purposes. The finding indicates that 21 to 27 thousand hectares were degraded due to charcoal production. By describing the chain of charcoal, it was possible to access the driving factors for charcoal production and to obtain the first-time overview flow of charcoal from producers to consumers in Bié province. The demand for charcoal in this province is more likely to remain strong if government policies do not aim to employ alternative sources of domestic energy.

Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of Charcoal Production Activities of Rural Households in Mecha District, Ethiopia

“…Charcoal producers can use free raw materials collected from the forest or other sources and turn them into a marketable commodity in high demand. Moreover, this traditional production of charcoal has a result of forest loss, and this threatens to reduce the ability of the forest to provide unlimited and multidimensional vital services [15]. For example, in Ethiopia, about 230000 tons of charcoal are used per year for domestic purposes [16].…”

Air Pollution and Climate Forcing of the Charcoal Industry in Africa

“…Current studies reveal that more than 90% of urban dwellers use charcoal in their homes in Africa (World Bank, 2011;Zulu et al, 2013). The higher income earners use it with a mix of other energy sources like LPG and kerosene (Chiteculo et al, 2018a). Kerosene, however, is falling out of favour in Africa.…”

Material and Energy Wastes Associated with Charcoal Production

“…The type and size of tree species harvested for charcoal production contribute to the waste in the form of ash or charcoal fines during carbonization. The tree species influences the yield of charcoal and waste; that is why the terms "preferred tree species" and "selective harvesting" are common in the charcoal production and related literature (Aabeyir et al 2016;Chiteculo et al 2018). The preferred tree species are usually of hard wood (high wood density).…”

“…Increasing demand for charcoal in many urban cities in developing countries suggests that more trees will be cut for charcoal production if the demand has to be met (Chiteculo et al 2018). This raises a question about the capacity of the shrublands, woodlands, forests, and plantations to provide the needed quantity of wood to produce enough charcoal to meet the demand.…”