ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF UPLAND PHYTOFUEL COLLECTION IN SOUTH CHINA

Abstract

Most villagers in Guangdong harvest upland phytomass for cooking and heating while a few in Hong Kong still collect dry fuelwood for cooking. Surveys were carried out in 70 rural households in Hong Kong and Guangdong to quantify the practices of the collection of upland phytomass for fuel. Phytofuel collection is performed mainly by women in Guangdong or elderly villagers in Hong Kong. Ischaemum spp., Dicranopteris linearis, Arundinella setosa and Rhodomyrtus tomentosa together made up 60.1 percent of the upland phytofuel used by the Heshan households. Dicranopteris linearis, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa and Ischaemum spp. together made up 55.4 percent of the upland phytofuel used by the Shenzhen households. Pinus massoniana and Phyllostachys spp. made up 66.5 percent of the upland phytofuel used by the Hong Kong households. Quantity collected depends on the abundance of phytomass on hills and distance between houses and hills. The average quantity and energy amount of phytofuel collected were in the order: Hong Kong > Shenzhen > Heshan. The labour requirements of phytomass collection vary with the abundance of phytomass on hills and distance between houses and hills, with a range of 7.8–22.9 work-days/t. The expenditures on phytofuel collection and consumption are mostly fixed costs which comprise unpaid family labour, implements for phytofuel collection and cooking devices. Phytofuel collected by villagers is mostly used for their own domestic purposes. Phytofuel marketing has died out in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, but some still exists in Heshan with a mean selling price at 150 yuan/t (28.3 US$/t) in 1990 and 1991.