Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation

Tata Precillia Ijang 237

slow the harvesting activities. Increased demand has lead to an overharvest

of wood, leaving the landscape full of tree stumps and young trees exposed to

the threats of grazing and other human-related activities. Reversing these

trends will require improvement in harvesting practices and community forest

management, the capture of greater value-added gains, and the development

of commercial value for fuelwood products to encourage the management of

the basic resource. These trends and issues are summarized in Table 2.

Aspect of Production-to Present Trend Future Trend

Consumption System

Ability to meet the needs of exploiters Moderate Low

Ability to meet the needs of suppliers Moderate Low

Ability to meet the needs of retailers Moderate Low

Ability to meet the needs of consumers Moderate Low

Marketing and transport infrastructure Moderate Better

Effect on the environment Bad Worse

Property right and ownership Low High

Transformation/processing Moderate Same

Exploitation techniques Bad Better

Conservation techniques Low High

Outside intervention Moderate Higher

State intervention Neutral Positive

External influence Moderate Higher

Quality of product Moderate Lower

Ecological sustainability Low Lower

Competitiveness with other fuels Very low Might change

Traditional and cultural impact Neutral Positive

Effect on economic development Positive Negative

Cost/benefit allocation (gender allocation) Women disfavored Might change

Economic value of the product High Higher

Table 2. Summary of trends and issues

Problems

The main problem brought about by the collection of fuelwood has been the

destruction of forest resources. Research into the causes of environmental

degradation show that excessive fuelwood collection has contributed to, and

brought about, disruption of the ecosystem (Pelkey and Ali 1996; CEDC 1997).

Measures being taken to correct this degradation include working to inform

farmers of the importance of rational exploitation, of tree planting, and of

the value of maintaining the existing trees on their farm plots.

A second problem associated with fuelwood collection occurred when

children involved in fetching and selling wood became excited by their earnings

and dropped out of school. Thirdly, this source of income is not sustainable,

and it is possible to go for days without any sales. The market is easily saturated,

as entry requires little in terms of capital investment and technical

understanding, and many people were encouraged by the lack of need for

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