This publication presents the key findings from a preliminary assessment of the policies of African countries relevant to charcoal value chains. The main objective of this study is to assess the extent to which national energy and environmental policies and strategies in Africa have the potential to provide enabling conditions …
Pakistan is poorly endowed with forests, covering 5.2 percent of the total landscape with 2.1 deforestation rate annually. The forest resources are not only important for the environmental services but carry immense importance for the local population for their livelihood. These were the views expressed by Dr Babar Shahbaz, visiting …
Increasing the efficiency of the traditional stoves through conversion will save 3.5 crore tonnes of firewood within 10 years. This was stated by Dr Khalequzzaman, Chief Adviser of the Sustainable Energy for Development (SED), at a press conference at the National Press Club yesterday. The SED, a programme taken by …
Agroforestry has high potential for simultaneously satisfying three important objectives viz., protecting and stabilizing the ecosystems; producing a high level of output of economic goods; and improving income and basic materials to rural population. Besides, agroforestry is capable to conserve natural resources through various systems under different agroclimatic regions. The …
Biotic pressure on Protected Areas (PAs) in developing countries is primarily to satisfy the fuelwood requirements and is one of the factors affecting their conservation. For studying the fuel consumption pattern and the potential of PA conservation through a change in fuel-mix, a fuel consumption survey was conducted during 2002 …
This paper provides an overview of the main risks and opportunities that may arise from liquid biofuel production and use in developing countries. Both the potential environmental impacts and the socio-economic effects of liquid biofuel production and use are discussed, focusing, in particular, on the household-level implications. A few country-levels …
This article is an analysis of the India Eco-Development Project (IEP) implemented in Sasan Gir National Park and Sanctuary. Statistical data describing the consumption patterns and financial status of the Maldharis was collected from 13 nesses. This information demonstrates the impact of the Maldharis on Gir, a lack of willingness …
Large-scale deforestation is rapidly increasing environmental degradation causing rise in several fatal diseases in Pakistan and efforts should be made to stretch the forest cover to 6percent by 2015 under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Federal Minister for Environment, Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi stated while chairing the Inter Provincial …
Tobacco cultivation is posing a threat to the public health and the environment in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Although tobacco cultivation is strictly prohibited, the tobacco companies are doing brisk business, violating the rules. Besides, they motivate the farmers openly by offering incentives in cash and kind to cultivate tobacco. …
United Nations figures show close to 10 million people die a year in India, where 85 percent of the billion-plus population are Hindus who practice cremation, mostly using wooden pyres that release huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). That means felling of an estimated 50 million trees, half a million …
Comparative study of normal and quality planting stock of selected indigenous fuelwood and fodder tree species of sub-tropical region of Garhwal Himalaya was carried out for selection of suitable fuelwood and fodder tree species for higher biomass production. Based on the findings of the seed and growth characteristics, it is …
Integrating gender into climate change policy at the local, national and international levels is of paramount importance. Here Lucia Kiwala, Chief of UN-HABITAT
In rural Bangladesh, Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) is dangerously high for poor households dependent on biomass cooking fuels. Based on earlier World Bank research, controlled, scientifi cally monitored experiments were conducted in Burumdi village, Narayanganj District, to test the effects of structural arrangements and ventilation practices on IAP. Findings suggest …
We discuss separate and integrated approaches to building scalable solar power plants and wildlife sanctuaries. Both solar power plants and wildlife sanctuaries need a lot of land. We quantify some of the requirements using various estimates of the rate of solar power production as well as the rate of adding …
This publication by the Programme for the Promotion of Household and Alternative Energy sources in the Sahel (PREDAS) is a summary of a series of surveys and analyses conducted in the Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Chad.
The severity of fuel wood and fodder depletion has been recognized through the hot arid tracts of India, since 70% of rural folk are dependent on them. The intensive study done on Baordi - Bambore watershed indicated that the state of affairs are not the same, as they appear. In …
The Sundarbans of India and Bangladesh is the only mangrove in the world where tigers still live. The Sundarbans has been under various forms of management for about 2,000 years, and is classified as a Tiger Conservation Landscape of Global Priority. Little is known about the Sundarbans tigers, which are …
Biomass smoke is an important source of particulate matter (PM) , and much remains to be discovered with respect to the human health effects associated with this specific PM source. Exposure to biomass smoke can occur in one of two main categories: short-term exposures consist of periodic, seasonal exposures typified …
Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum) is a perennial cash crop grown under the Himalayan alder (Alnus nepalensis) or mix forest tree species in the hills of Nepal, Darjeeling hills, Sikkim and Bhutan. The cardamom based agroforestry system in the Himalayas has proved to be a sustainable land use practice at the …
Non-timber forest products (NTFP), whether consumed or marketed, represent a substantial value. NTFP are believed capable of alleviating poverty or at least helping maintain consumption levels while averting impoverishment. Communities find in forests edible and medicinal plants, meat, honey, fodder and fuel.
In many parts of rural India the use of wood for fuel is the cause of significant environmental and health problems. Efforts to help people switch to cleaner fuels have not been effective and fuelwood use remains high in the countryside. To help find a solution to this challenge, a …
