Use Of Firewood Research Articles

Firewood extraction and use in rural Vietnam: a household model for three communes in Ha Tinh Province

Rural households in Vietnam depend on firewood as a main energy source, although collection and use patterns are not well understood. Households in three communes in Cam Xuyen District, Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam, were surveyed to identify patterns of firewood extraction and use, preferred species and sources. Data was collected in meetings with commune leaders, households and key-informant interviews, using open and close-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Volumetric measurements of firewood use over 24 h were taken for a sample of households. All surveyed households depend on firewood as the primary fuel source for cooking and boiling water with highest mean volumes used for this purpose in middle-income households. Firewood is used as a free resource which brings important economic returns to the communes, both as a saleable item and for income generating activities such as cooking pig feed and making wine. Thirty-nine plant species were used as firewood and cutting living branches and whole trees was preferred. The most frequently extracted species are Cratoxylum formosum (Jacq.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Dyer, Castanopsis kawakamii Hayata, Betula alnoides Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don, Melia azedarach L., and Casuarina equisetifolia L. Higher income households have more private land to source firewood from, while poor and middle income households are heavily dependent on public lands and the nearby Kego Nature Reserve. Although the reserve is a protected area, the forest is viewed as an open access resource from which households in the three studied communes extract an estimated 7200 tonnes annually.

REVITALIZATION OF BIOMASS FUEL BY IMPLEMENTING UB EARTHEN FURNACE TO SUPPORT THE SOCIETY’S SUSTAINABILITY OF ENERGY: A CASE STUDY IN THE SUBDISTRICT OF DAU, MALANG

The objectives of this study are to examine the likelihood of society in turning the use of the traditional and gas furnaces to the UB earthen furnace and to examine the potential reduction of the use of firewood and gas furnaces at Dau Subdistrict of Malang. Using descriptive analysis, this study found that the use of UB earthen furnace is able to reduce the use of firewood and gas furnace up to 50% and people’s tendency in willing to turn both firewood and gas furnaces into the earthen furnace increases up to 60% dealing with its benefits and costs which have been observed by several main aspects (including economical, technical, environmental, social, and health aspects).

Community Managed Forest Groups and Preferences for REDD+ Contract Attributes: A Choice Experiment Survey of Communities in Nepal

A significant portion of the world’s forests that are eligible for Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) payments are community managed forests. At the same time, there is a little knowledge in the existing literature about the preferences of households in the communities with community managed forests for REDD+ contracts.We use a choice experiment survey of rural communities in Nepal to understand the respondent’s preferences towards the institutional structure of REDD+ contracts. We split our sample across the communities with community managed forests groups and those without to see how the prior involvement in community managed forest groups’ impact preferences. Results show that respondents care about how the payments are divided between the households and the communities, the restrictions on firewood use, the restrictions on grazing and the level of payments. Finally we use a series of demographic interactions terms to analyze how the institutional arrangements and beliefs about climate change and benefits from the REDD+ program influence respondents’ beliefs. We find that there are no significant differences in the preferences for the REDD+ contract attributes between the Community Forests (CF) and non-CF respondent groups but we find that respondent groups differ in their beliefs about REDD+ payments and the institutional arrangements.Journal of Forest and Livelihood 13(1) May, 2015, Page : 8-19

Future electricity: The challenge of reducing both carbon and water footprint

We estimate the consumptive water footprint (WF) of electricity and heat in 2035 for the four energy scenarios of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and a fifth scenario with a larger percentage of solar energy. Counter-intuitively, the ‘greenest’ IEA scenario (with the smallest carbon footprint) shows the largest WF increase over time: an increase by a factor four over the period 2010–2035. In 2010, electricity from solar, wind, and geothermal contributed 1.8% to the total. The increase of this contribution to 19.6% in IEA's ‘450 scenario’ contributes significantly to the decrease of the WF of the global electricity and heat sector, but is offset by the simultaneous increase of the use of firewood and hydropower. Only substantial growth in the fractions of energy sources with small WFs – solar, wind, and geothermal energy – can contribute to a lowering of the WF of the electricity and heat sector in the coming decades. The fifth energy scenario – adapted from the IEA 450 scenario but based on a quick transition to solar, wind and geothermal energy and a minimum in bio-energy – is the only scenario that shows a strong decline in both carbon footprint (−66%) and consumptive WF (−12%) in 2035 compared to the reference year 2010.

Future Scope of Solar Energy in India

Generation of solar energy has tremendous scope in India. The geographical location of the country stands to its benefit for generating solar energy. The reason being India is a tropical country and it receives solar radiation almost throughout the year, which amounts to 3,000 hours of sunshine. This is equal to more than 5,000 trillion kWh. Almost, all parts of India receive 4-7 kWh of solar radiation per sq metres. This is equivalent to 2,300–3,200 sunshine hours per year. States like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, and West Bengal have great potential for tapping solar energy due to their location. Since majority of the population live in rural areas, there is much scope for solar energy being promoted in these areas. Use of solar energy can reduce the use of firewood and dung cakes by rural household. Many large projects have been proposed in India, some of them are: i).Thar Desert of India has best solar power projects, estimated to generate 700 to 2,100 GW, ii). The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) launched by the Centre is targeting 20,000 MW of solar energy power by 2022, iii).Gujarat’s pioneering solar power policy aims at 1,000 MW of solar energy generation, and Rs. 130 billion solar power plan was unveiled in July 2009, which projected to produce 20 GW of solar power by 2020. Apart from above, about 66 MW is installed for various applications in the rural area, amounting to be used in solar lanterns, street lighting systems and solar water pumps, etc. Thus, India has massive plan for Solar Energy generation that may not only fulfill the deficit of power generation but also contribute largely in Green Energy Production to help to reduce the Climatic Changes globally.

CONTRIBUIÇÃO DA EXPERIMENTAÇÃO À COMPREENSÃO DAS PRÁTICAS SOCIAIS EM ANTRACOLOGIA: GESTÃO E USO DA LENHA EM SOCIEDADES PRÉ-HISTÓRICAS

The development of socioeconomic approaches applied to charcoal analysis has made it possible to focus on topics related to firewood use and management. Ethnographic studies remind us that the criteria according to which a society chooses its firewood cannot be reduced to a “simple” taxonomic selection: other characteristics, such as the diameter or the state of the wood ( i.e. green, seasoned, rotten) are at least as important as the species. The framework of this paper is to present a synthesis of recent tools developed to improve the potential of charcoal analysis for the study of firewood uses and management. Standardized laboratory experiments on Scot Pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) combining both muffle furnace and open fireplace combustions allowed proposing new methods of identifying the diameter and the state of the wood based on anatomical signatures. Thanks to these methods, it becomes possible to contribute to a better knowledge of the technical traditions linked to the use of fire, from wood gathering to specialized hearths on archaeological charcoal samples.

A Case-Control Study to Evaluate the Etiology of Esophageal Cancer in Tanzania

Abstract 75 Objective: East Africa has been previously reported as a geographic area with a disproportionately high incidence of squamous cell esophageal cancer (EC). In the setting of an apparent geographic cluster, we sought to identify specific etiologic factors contributing to the high incidence of EC in Tanzania (TZ). Methods: We performed a case-control study to examine possible associations between EC and selected environmental, dietary, and lifestyle factors. Newly diagnosed EC cases were recruited at Muhimbili National Hospital and Ocean Road Cancer Institute during 2014-2015. Hospital controls were identified from patients with non-malignant conditions and matched 1:1 for gender and age ±10 years. The study team conducted in-person interviews. A matched case-control analysis used McNemar’s test with a Mantel-Haenszel estimate for odds ratios (OR). Results: 375 cases and 375 controls were enrolled. 71% of cases and controls were male. Median age was 58 years (range 30-91) for cases and 55 years (range 31-88) for controls. Among cases with a confirmed pathologic diagnosis, squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histology (85%). Liquor consumption (OR 1.84, 95% CI: 1.05-3.22, p=0.04), burning firewood (OR 2.66, 95% CI: 1.88-3.76, p<0.001), use of kerosene (OR 3.29, 95% CI: 2.36-4.59, p<0.001), and use of surface water as a primary source of drinking water (OR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.41-3.76, p=0.001) were associated with increased risk of EC. Running water, gas, and electric utilities in the household were protective. Conclusion: Alcohol consumption, firewood and kerosene use as fuel, and surface water consumption merit further investigation as potential etiologic factors contributing to high EC incidence in TZ. Future research will include conducting multivariate analysis with these and other potential risk factors and a genome-wide analysis study using DNA extracted from saliva specimens obtained from cases and controls. Funding: Research support provided by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health Contract No. HH5N261200800001E. AUTHORS’ DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Elia Mmbaga No relationship to disclose Katrina Deardorff No relationship to disclose Beatrice Mushi No relationship to disclose Li Zhang No relationship to disclose William Mgisha No relationship to disclose Aparna Parikh Employment: Genentech Stock or Other Ownership: Genentech Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Genentech Robert A. Hiatt No relationship to disclose Julius Mwaiselage No relationship to disclose Katherine Van Loon Consulting or Advisory Role: Bayer Company: OncoPlex Diagnostics

The influence of an improved firewood cookstove, Chitetzo mbaula, on tree species preference in Malawi

With fuelwood arguably being the most important product from local forests for rural people in developing regions, its scarcity is an issue of very real importance. One strategy to simultaneously alleviate pressures on forest resources and increase the sustainability of its use has been the promotion of improved cook stoves (ICS). While ICS have been promoted as a means to reduce indoor air pollution and improve health in rural areas, or to reduce demand for fuelwood as a means of halting forest degradation, there is a dearth of research that links the influences of ICS on preferences for firewood species. From a sustainable forest management perspective, this is an important area of inquiry. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the potential impacts of an ICS on firewood use and tree species preference in several Malawian study sites. From a sustainable forest management perspective, the results are intriguing. The introduction of an ICS – in this case, the Chitetzo mbaula earthen clay cookstove – in several villages in two southern Malawian districts/study sites appears to translate to a greater preference for slow-growing indigenous firewood species (e.g., Brachystegia spp.) over fast-growing exotic alternatives (e.g., Eucalyptus spp., Mangifera indica). A reasonable application of these results would be to assist rural people to plant a variety of firewood (and ideally multi-purpose) trees that offered a phased succession whereby faster-growing exotics would still be required and planted in the near term with a transition to slower-growing indigenous trees over the longer term.

Assessment of Fuel Wood Values and the Influence of Wood Cutting on the Easily Flooded Plain Woodland of the Sahelian Area, Cameroon

The study focused on fuel wood economic value and the influences of woody cutting on woody species in the flooded plains woodland area. Sahelian woodland suffers from cutting down trees for fuel wood, to insure household energy demands. Investigations were carried out near a sample of users of resources and an inventory of stems of exploited species in woodland. Households in 15 villages and four markets were explored and 496 actors included in the exploitation and the use of firewood and charcoal, as regard 204 men and 292 women, were interviewed individually. Fuel wood quantity and economic value was made through a register. Through 48 transects of 2 000 m length and 20 m each, the availability, the intensity of cutting down trees, measurements and observations were made and noted on stems. Stems which the circumference > 10 cm were counted and their diameter was measured. The sources of domestic energy mostly used were firewood and charcoal which remained easily accessible and available. Completely stem cut down and partial stems cut were noted as the exploitation mode. The charcoal was produced traditionally, using furnace. Significant quantity of firewood (2186.59 t) and charcoal (28340 t) were estimated. It varied periodically a year with a substantial drop. The quantity sale represent 95 % and brought annual income of 122035.8 $ (Firewood) and 31 630 $ (charcoal). The incomes contributed significantly in the rural households’ economy and brought an additive to their much reduced agricultural yields. A number of 33 woody species were noted as the mostly exploited for fuel wood. Among them Anogeissus leiocarpus, Balanites aegyptiaca, Prosopis Africana, Detarium microcarpum and Pseudocedrela kotschyi were firstly mention. The total number of stumps and the partial cut of stems were significant representing respectively 20.91 % and 9.64 % of stems counted. The exploitation was intensive and selective on stems. Cutting down of stems was constituted a major factor for requested species degradation. Results indicated evidence of the impacts of fuel wood exploitation on the woody species. The study concludes that fuel wood yield in the sahelian woodland has not yet reached alarming proportions and can be contained. It could be an imperative to set up an alternative system to ensure sustainable management of resources. Solutions through introduction and popularization of natural gas, biogas, solar energy and the improved hearths could effectively contribute to reduce the intensity of this activity and to guarantee the maintenance of the ecological balance on the already fragile sahelian ecosystems.

Characterization and mobility of arsenic and heavy metals in soils polluted by the destruction of arsenic-containing shells from the Great War

Destruction of chemical munitions from World War I has caused extensive local top soil contamination by arsenic and heavy metals. The biogeochemical behavior of toxic elements is poorly documented in this type of environment. Four soils were sampled presenting different levels of contamination. The range of As concentrations in the samples was 1937–72,820mg/kg. Concentrations of Zn, Cu and Pb reached 90,190mg/kg, 9113mg/kg and 5777mg/kg, respectively. The high clay content of the subsoil and large amounts of charcoal from the use of firewood during the burning process constitute an ample reservoir of metals and As-binding materials. However, SEM–EDS observations showed different forms of association for metals and As. In metal-rich grains, several phases were identified: crystalline phases, where arsenate secondary minerals were detected, and an amorphous phase rich in Fe, Zn, Cu, and As. The secondary arsenate minerals, identified by XRD, were adamite and olivenite (zinc and copper arsenates, respectively) and two pharmacosiderites. The amorphous material was the principal carrier of As and metals in the central part of the site. This singular mineral assemblage probably resulted from the heat treatment of arsenic-containing shells. Microbial characterization included total cell counts, respiration, and determination of As(III)-oxidizing activities. Results showed the presence of microorganisms actively contributing to metabolism of carbon and arsenic, even in the most polluted soil, thereby influencing the fate of bioavailable As on the site. However, the mobility of As correlated mainly with the availability of iron sinks.

Determination of Specific Emission Factors of Residential for Carbon Footprint Estimation and Mapping in Banyuwangi District

Increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere occurred due to human activities, one of which is the residential sector. In an effort to overcome the problem of increased concentrations of greenhouse gases, the Government of Indonesia launched the first step action plan to mitigate climate change by doing GHG inventory in accordance with the IPCC guidelines. To increase the accuracy in conducting an inventory, each country was encouraged to draw up specific emission factors. This study aims to determine the residential sector of specific emission factors and analyze the distribution of emissions by mapping the carbon footprint. Calculation method was using the IPCC. Activity data was fuel for cooking in urban and rural areas. The results of the questionnaire showed a different pattern of household fuel consumption in urban and rural areas, households in urban areas generally use LPG, whereas in the rural areas wear LPG and firewood. From the results obtained by analysis, the value of specific emission factor of fuel use for cooking in urban areas 0,3855 tons of CO2/ household.year, in rural areas 1,7776 tons of CO2/household.year. The result of calculation and mapping shows higher carbon footprint of fuel in rural areas due to the use of firewood.

Ritual hot bath (wankan jego) in Kano: Are they still practicing? What are the implications?

Background: Postpartum ritual hot bath is one of the harmful cultural beliefs commonly practiced in Northern Nigeria. It is linked with health hazards especially among women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study conducted among 199 pregnant women over the period of 3 months. Ethical approval was obtained from The Kano State Ethical Committee. Questionnaire was administered among consenting pregnant women. Information on sociodemographic characteristics and practice of hot bath was obtained. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 17 computer software (SPSS Inc., SPSS Statistics for Windows, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: One hundred and ninety-nine pregnant women were recruited for the survey. The mean age ± standard deviation was 28.09 ± 5.55 years. The rate of hot bath was 56.80% and the days spent taking the hot bath ranged from 4 to 40 days. An average of 195.41 ± 96.050 Naira was spent on firewood per day for the hot bath. The method of boiling the water was mainly the use of firewood 87 (78.40%). They mainly used leaves 76 (68.50%) and towel 35 (31.50%) for bathing. The responsibility of the cost of the hot bath was mainly on husband 102 (91.90%). The hot bath was enforced mainly by the parents 68 (61.30%). Up to 82 (73.90%) of the respondents were ready to abandon the hot bath if alternatives such as drugs are provided. Conclusion: The prevalence rate of hot bath was 56.80%. The burden of its financial implications lies mainly on husbands leading to other social and financial problems.

Life Around the Firewood Stove: The Impact of Price Volatility

The cooking fire at home is an important site for the transmission, through the oral tradition, of the continuity of history and culture. In Guatemala, cooking and eating around the fire is one of the ancestral practices that promotes communication between family members. The heat provided by firewood is exploited to cook and maintain a comfortable temperature inside the house, but also to transmit teachings and ancient secrets. The fire provides energy at the centre of family cohesion before and after the work day. Today, although families still gather around the stove, the practice is diminishing, in part because of the rising cost of food and firewood. This article looks at the way in which rising prices affect the use of firewood and considers the impact that this has on the transmission of cultural values from one generation to the next.

Looking towards the Forest: Women’s Firewood Consumption and Environmental Degradation in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The issue of deforestation as a contributory trigger for environmental degradation continues to stay at the centre of global debate on climate change. However, little empirical effort has been directed toward understanding the effect of firewood consumption by rural women and how this contributes to environmental degradation around the world. In the light of this knowledge gap, this paper sets off to show the effect of women’s use of firewood on forest resources and how this contributes to environmental degradation in Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta in general. It asserts that women’s dependence on firewood for domestic and commercial purposes leads to the progressive deterioration of forest resources and by extension environmental degradation. Based on the assumptions of the Materialist Feminist theory, the core argument in this paper is that women in the study area are materially marginalized and as a result, they depend on the natural environment for petite economic survival. As a result, the struggle to raise their income level drives women into putting pressure on forests resources through firewood consumption and this in turn creates conditions that lead to environmental degradation through the loss of biodiversity, increase in carbon emission and sustained flooding. The findings of the study have implications for policy and practice. It is based on these implications that useful suggestions and recommendations are made.

GHG Emission as a Measure of Environmental Impacts in Producing Selected Natural Rubber Products

Rubber production has been taking place in Sri Lanka for more than 100 years. This study presents emission of green house gases (GHG) associated with the production of concentrated latex and crepe rubber in Sri Lanka. According to the extent of rubber plantation by districts of Sri Lanka, Kegalle, Kalutara, Ratnapura and Colombo are the major rubber growing districts. Out of these districts Kegalle, Kalutara and Colombo were selected for the study. List of rubber manufacturing industries were used to select industries. Those industries were categorised based on number of workers such as small scale, medium scale and large scale. Industries were selected from all categories proportionate to the total no of industries in the list. Based on the list of rubber factories belonging to plantation companies and three factories belonging to private companies in Sri Lanka were used to collect all activity data were collected for a year. From April 2010 to March 2011 (financial year). The agricultural activities in rubber plantation and fuel consumption for staff transportation were not taken to account. Emission of greenhouse gases associated with the production of primary rubber products (crepe rubber and centrifuge latex) are quantified as functions of activities and emission factors. Diesel uses in fresh latex transportation, electricity use, diesel use for self power generation, production of diesel for latex transportation and self power generation and waste water generation from concentrated and crepe factories were considered for GHG emission calculation. Other than that, ammonia production for concentrated latex factories and firewood use in crepe rubber factories were also considered. Total emission for the year 2010 from the production of concentrated latex is 1,339,663 Ton of CO2 Eq. and from the production of crepe rubber is 8,431,884.1 ton of CO2 Eq. The emission factors of the production of concentrated latex and crepe rubber was estimated as 55.016 and 138.123 ton CO2 Eq per ton of product respectively. Emissions are largely associated with waste water discharges and energy use. This study discusses to reduce GHG emissions from above two product production processes. Keywords: GHG, Emission, Concentrated latex, Crepe rubber

Chronic Airflow Obstruction in a Black African Population: Results of BOLD Study, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Global estimates suggest that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is emerging as a leading cause of death in developing countries but there are few spirometry-based general population data on its prevalence and risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa. We used the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) protocol to select a representative sample of adults aged 40 years and above in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. All the participants underwent spirometry and provided information on smoking history, biomass and occupational exposures as well as diagnosed respiratory diseases and symptoms. Chronic Airflow Obstruction (CAO) was defined as the ratio of post-bronchodilator (BD) one second Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) to Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) below the lower limit of normal (LLN) of the population distribution for FEV1/FVC.The overall prevalence of obstruction (post-BD FEV1/FVC < LLN) was 7.7% (2.7% above LLN) using Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) equations. It was associated with few respiratory symptoms; 0.3% reported a previous doctor-diagnosed chronic bronchitis, emphysema or COPD. Independent predictors included a lack of education (OR 2·5, 95% CI: 1.0, 6.4) and a diagnosis of either TB (OR 23.4, 95% CI: 2.0, 278.6) or asthma (OR 35.4, 95%CI: 4.9, 255.8). There was no association with the use of firewood or coal for cooking or heating. The vast majority of this population (89%) are never smokers. We conclude that the prevalence of CAO is low in Ile-Ife, Nigeria and unrelated to biomass exposure. The key independent predictors are poor education, and previous diagnosis of tuberculosis or asthma.

Different types of fuel sources and the situation of the use of firewood in households in rural areas of Java Island

Different types of fuel sources and the situation of the use of firewood in households in rural areas of Java Island

Study of single nucleotide polymorphisms of tumour necrosis factors and HSP genes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in North East India.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial tumour with a distinctive racial and geographical distribution. High incidence of NPC has been reported from China, Southeast Asia, and northeast (NE) region of India. The immune mechanism plays incredibly role in pathogenesis of NPC. Tumour necrosis factors (TNFs) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) constitute significant components of innate as well as adaptive host immunity. Multi-analytical approaches including logistic regression (LR), classification and regression tree (CART) and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) were applied in 120 NPC cases and 100 controls to explore high order interactions among TNF-α (-308G>A), TNF β (+252 A>G), HSP 70-1 (+190G>C), HSP 70-hom (+2437 T>C) genes and environmental risk factors. TNF β was identified as the primary etiological factor by all three analytical approaches. Individual analysis of results showed protective effect of TNF β GG genotype (adjusted odds ratio (OR2) = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.125-0.611, P = 0.001), HSP 70 (+2437) CC genotype (OR2 = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.0430.69, P = 0.013), while AG genotype of TNF β was found significantly associated with risk of NPC (OR2 = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.019-3.83, P = 0.04). Analysis of environmental factors demonstrated association of alcohol consumption, living in mud houses and use of firewood for cooking as major risk factors for NPC. Individual haplotype association analysis showed significant risk associated with GTGA haplotype (OR = 68.61, 95% CI = 2.47-190.37, P = 0.013) while a protective effect with CCAA and GCGA haplotypes (OR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.05-0.75, P = 0.019; OR = 0.01 95% CI = 0.05-0.30, P = 0.007). The multi-analytical approaches applied in this study helped in identification of distinct gene-gene and gene-environment interactions significant in risk assessment of NPC.

Fuel exploitation as a factor in Shoshone winter mobility

This paper estimates fuel exploitation as a way of assessing the extent to which use of firewood in the Desert West should be considered an important factor in determining on the basis of seasonal use, how quickly available wood stores would be exploited. Recognizing that more mobile foragers during spring-fall may not be seriously impacted by fuel availability, we focus our discussion on the potential impact of fuel depletion during the winter period. We use Julian Steward and Murphy and Murphy’s locational descriptions of winter villages on the Snake River Plain to calculate fuel return rates of driftwood/deadfall and sagebrush by foraging radii. We argue that fuel depletion is a primary cause of re-location of encampments during the winter period.

Cultural patterns of firewood use as a tool for conservation: A study of multiple perceptions in a semiarid region of Cordoba, Central Argentina

The paper analyzes local perceptions and practices related to the quality, extraction, and use of fuels firewood by the inhabitants of two protected areas. Our working model assumes the existence of patterns of preference, use and acquisition of firewood, depending on the social actors involved, and their perceptions. Our research developed through: the making of a reference collection and the applicationand of in-depth interviews and semi-structured surveys. We identified the most frequently used species and those with the greatest number of uses. The presence of patterns in the provisioning of energy source, and of firewood gathering and use, were identified in different actors. Through the application of a PCA analysis, and the study of native categories, patterning in the grouping of species was established, according to the local firewood classification. The latter relate to differences in the ease of ignition, in the durability and temperature of the flame and/or embers and the amount and type of smoke or ash produced. On the basis of ecological and perceptual information, a ranking of local priorities for the conservation of woody species is proposed. Finally, we discuss the relevance of sociocultural patterns of local perceptions of firewood use for conservation.