Bioresource, energy and forest sustainability: A case study from Indian Himalayan region

Abstract

Biomass and bioenergy are important for energy security in the rural areas of the developing countries. The sustainability of using biomass for energy security and reducing carbon emission for climate adaptation is an area of concern. Here we assessed the forest biomass use pattern in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and factors influencing the usage within the rural community. We did the household level survey (n = 1346) in the 77 representative villages of Beas, Bhagirathi and Teesta basin of the IHR. We found that although 80% of the surveyed household had access to Liquidified Petroleum Gas (LPG), their dependency on common pool resources for energy security still exists, depending on the altitude, size of the family, dependent members, education and occupation of the family members and adult cattle unit present with the household. The fuelwood and fodder harvest varied between the three basins and also increases along the altitudinal gradient. The biomass harvest is linked with the forest degradation and attributed to more carbon emission along with the rural health. Most of the surveyed villages of Beas and Teesta basin lacked sufficient forest cover for sustainable harvesting of fuelwood and fodder. We suggest intersectoral linkages within different stakeholders to adopt and disseminate cleaner energy to remote rural areas to meet sustainable development goals and energy security in the IHR.