The use of firewood in protected forests: collection practices and analysis of legal restrictions to extractivism

Luciana Gomes de Sousa Nascimento,Marcelo Alves Ramos,Elcida de Lima Araújo,Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque

doi:10.1590/0102-33062019abb0050

Abstract

ABSTRACT Restrictions to the collection of timber resources in protected areas have been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to describe the practices of firewood collection in a protected forest and the perceptions of collectors, particularly with regard to their adjustment to the rules of the local management plan. The study involved 102 participants of a rural community adjacent to the Araripe National Forest and employed semi-structured interviews, free-listing and in-situ survey techniques for ethnobiological data collection. The volume of wood stored was measured and monitored using a modification of the weight survey technique. The residents used 69 plant species for firewood Most of the informants self-reported disagreement with the rules of the management plan, yet they tended to comply. Most interviewees felt that the rules of the management plan needed to be changed, especially those related to the day when firewood can be collected, fees charged and means of transportation. Management plans certainly represent a relevant strategy for the conservation of biodiversity, but they need continuous evaluation and adjustment to meet the needs of local human populations.

Highlights

The use of wood as fuel is a common practice worldwide, but especially in rural areas of underdeveloped and developing countries (Samant et al 2000; Figuerôa et al 2006; Madubansi & Shackleton 2007), where firewood is the main source of fuel for most low-income families (Brouwer & Falcão 2004)
Management plans certainly represent a relevant strategy for the conservation of biodiversity, but they need continuous evaluation and adjustment to meet the needs of local human populations
In the Horizonte community, all family members participate in firewood collection, but the actual collection is mainly performed by the household head and the eldest children (10 to 19 years old)

Summary

Introduction

The use of wood as fuel is a common practice worldwide, but especially in rural areas of underdeveloped and developing countries (Samant et al 2000; Figuerôa et al 2006; Madubansi & Shackleton 2007), where firewood is the main source of fuel for most low-income families (Brouwer & Falcão 2004). As a form of destructive extractivism, the collection of green firewood leads to changes in the conservation status of the remaining vegetation by reducing the population size of the species used and posing a threat to local biodiversity (Tabuti 2003; McNally et al 2011; Mustafa et al 2011). Reduced availability of firewood in forests or bans on collection leads extractivists to change their use and collection practices by replacing one resource with another or by exploiting other collection sites, increasing pressure on the biodiversity of natural habitats (Madubansi & Shackleton 2007)

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