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Monitoring the charcoal production by Stijn Cleemput, Caroline Moreau and Cornelia Sepp
[top] [end]IntroductionLarge parts of Kampala’s population are using charcoal for heating and cooking. One of the main charcoal supply areas is situated in the Masindi, Luwero, Nakasongola triangle; more specifically in the Masindi district (National Biomass Study (NBS) 2002; NEMA, 2001). This region supplies the main urban centres of Kampala with 250,000 tonnes of charcoal per annum (Energy for Sustainable Development, 1994 data). The region’s natural resources are quickly depleting due to increasing population pressures and action is urgently needed in order to protect and restore these remaining woodfuel stocks.The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda, supported by the GTZ-Energy Advisory Project, introduced a pilot taxation system in Masindi district, commonly known as the Sustainable Charcoal Production and Licensing System (SCPLS). In this system, taxes are collected according to the quantities of charcoal produced and transported. There are no production limits on private land. Tax collection is based on the biomass resources at parish level, so detailed information on biomass stocks and yield is required to determine the levies. Biomass regeneration (distribution of seedlings, tree nurseries . . .) will be financed from these revenues, and it is expected that this will be an effective means to sustain the biomass reserves. This article describes the findings from the biomass standing stock estimation study. Although the inventory of the available woody biomass in Masindi came from the former National Biomass Study (now part of the National Forest Authority of Uganda) this article is not part of a project evaluation. The objective is to present a recent monitoring study for the forested lands of Masindi district (Uganda) to contribute to its further development. In this article, the term ‘biomass’ is limited to the total living woody natural vegetation found above ground. This includes stems, branches and twigs. The term biomass refers to their air-dry mass, measured after drying the wood for up to 15 days, until the mass is constant (NBS, 2002). [top] [end]Study areaThe Masindi district is located in the most Northern part of the Western region of Uganda. It is famous for its forested areas; woodland, bushland, grassland and tropical high forests. Most of the land is privately owned. Subsistence farmers concentrate mainly on growing maize, groundnuts and tobacco, supplementing their income by burning charcoal. The study area where the licensing system has been introduced consists of 20 administrative units, called parishes. There are some areas that are owned and managed by the National Forestry Authority where people are not allowed to practice charcoal burning.[top] [end]MethodA first estimate of the national biomass stock was undertaken by the Forestry Department in the late 1980s (NBS, 2002), resulting in the classification of the land cover. With the help of this classification, and recent remote sensing data from the FAO Africover Project (Landsat images of 2001), the distribution of land cover was updated. To refine and update the 1980’s biomass data, a ground survey was conducted by the former Forestry Department of Uganda in July 2003, and in more detail, in spring 2004. The methodology for determining yield was used in the National Biomass Study (2002), looking at two scenarios; undisturbed and disturbed land (Table 1). As shown in this table, the undisturbed situation is calculated from the theoretical age of the tree (rotation age); this method is preferable for plantation forestry. The disturbed situation is used for natural forests, where forestry growth on private land is influenced by the actions of man, rather than by natural factors. These figures are derived from national level surveys, and do not reflect the specific growth rates of the study area.
[top] [end]Results and discussionThis study provided highly detailed and up-to-date biomass stock information and yield data at parish level for the area under the licensing system. Figure 1 shows the quantities of biomass per parish that fall under the licensing system.
Within the parishes surveyed, the average standing stock of biomass ranges from around 5 tonnes/ha to 26 tonnes/ha of biomass. Ranking these values helps to identify the low-ranking parishes that need the most attention. The annual gross yield figures for the disturbed situation reflect the shortfall of natural production capacity of the different land cover areas. For the disturbed situation, the SCPLS region has a deficit of approximately 170 thousand tonnes of biomass per year. Since the protected areas are not included in the survey outputs, the whole loss is on private lands. The undisturbed situation shows the theoretical yield when no encroaching, cutting and grazing activities take place. Based on this figure, the overall yield of the different types of land cover in the SCPLS area is around 600 thousand tonnes of biomass per year. Finally, wood supplies were compared with wood consumption and charcoal production in Masindi district. Kisakye estimated (2004) that approximately 9162 tonnes of charcoal were transported from Masindi to Kampala. In addition, the population of the SCPLS region consumes about 66 639 tonnes of firewood annually; and 93 151 tonnes of charcoal (converted to wood weight). Aggregating the local consumption and the production for Kampala results in a total 251 411 tonnes per year of wood for domestic purposes within the SCPLS region. [top] [end]ConclusionsThese methods for assessment of biomass resources and yield can be efficient for setting up further forest management planning and licensing systems in the region. A direct link with the planning of sustainable forest management allows the taxation system to influence the charcoal production quota of the SCPLS area.To monitor the development of the biomass resources, and to test effectiveness of the licensing system, the yield data should be assessed regularly, e.g. every 1–2 years. The balance between the production of charcoal and the vegetation yield should be interpreted carefully. These scenario analyses allow the effects of different governmental policy actions in the district to be interpreted. The authors wish to acknowledge the project coordinator Philippe Simonis, and the teams who were involved in this study. The teams comprised: John Kuteesakwe, Mr. Paul Drichi, Mr John Ayongera, Mr John Diisi, Christopher Mukwaya, Alfred Macapili, Edward Damulira, John Ongodia. Special thanks is extended to Mr Solomon Kaahwa, Vice Chairman of Masindi district.. [top] [end]References1) National Biomass Study 2003, Technical Report, Forestry Department, Ministry of Water Lands and Environment, Kampala Uganda2) National Biomass Study 2002, Technical Report, Forest Department, Ministry of Water Lands and Environment 3) Kisakye Richard 2004, Final Report: Study on the establishment of Quantity of Charcoal Produced per Parish and Recommended Reserve Prices for Masindi District. Ministry of Energy & Mineral Development supported by the GTZ, Kampala, Uganda 4)NEMA 2001, State of Environment report for Uganda 2000/2001, Kampala, Uganda [top] [end]Download the original article Monitoring the charcoal production of an area under a sustainable licensing system in Masindi district, Uganda by Stijn Cleemput, Caroline Moreau and Cornelia Sepp (233 KB)[top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 51 - Sharing information and communicating knowledge
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Page created:
11 June 2007; Last edited:
14 June 2007; Version: 3 | ||||||||||||
Pagename: MonitoringTheCharcoalProductionOfAnAreaUnderASustainableLicensingSystem @HEDON: QVEA | ||||||||||||
