Spatial patterns of woodfuel consumption by commercial cooking sectors within 30 km of Lawachara National Park in northeastern Bangladesh

Abstract

In this study, the commercial woodfuel consumption at 119 markets within 30 km of the border of Lawachara National Park (LNP) in northeastern Bangladesh was examined. The study included interviews with a total of 587 commercial woodfuel consumers, representing restaurants, tea stalls, and food manufacturers. The way in which the market attributes (travel distance to LNP, elevation, degree of urbanisation, and population density) and consumer characteristics (use of alternative fuels and diversification in woodfuel sources) affected woodfuel consumption at the market and shop levels was evaluated. The annual woodfuel consumption was found to be greater in semi-urban areas than in rural areas, in terms of both total market and per-shop consumption, while it decreased with an increase in the travel distance to LNP. At the shop-level, alternative fuel use did not reduce woodfuel consumption, and shops that also used liquefied petroleum gas consumed more woodfuel. These woodfuel demands were met directly and indirectly (via sawmills) by natural forests, homestead trees, tea estates, and roadside plantations. Hence, the sustainable production of woodfuel from homestead forests and roadside plantations, rather than the adoption of affordable alternatives to traditional woodfuel, such as rice-husk briquettes, is important for meeting the sustainable development goals in rural Bangladesh.