Factors influencing use of fuelwood and its environmental impacts in Tapanuli Utara regency, North Sumatra
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Kuupäev
2018
Kättesaadavus
Ajakirja pealkiri
Ajakirja ISSN
Köite pealkiri
Kirjastaja
Abstrakt
Deforestation and forest degradation, after burning of fossil fuels, is considered as the
second leading cause of anthropogenic greenhouse emissions (accounting for over 17% of
global carbon dioxide emissions) and has become an important issue concerning
climate change
mitigation. The provision of wood energy is generally thought to be a major contributor to
forest loss. In Indonesia, more than half of the rainforest there, the third
-
largest swath in the
world, has been felled in just a few years. Further
more, permission has been granted to convert
the majority of what remains into palm or acacia plantations. The logging and burning of forests
to clear land for cultivation has made Indonesia one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
Therefore, the o
bjective of this study was to assess the current level and influencing factors of
the use of fuelwood among the rural population as well as the consequent environmental
impacts in the target area in North Sumatra. The questionnaire survey using randomly se
lected
households (n
=
196) was administered in Tapanuli Utara regency from July to August 2014;
followed by several field visits from August to September 2016. Obtained data were analysed
with descriptive statistics and cross tabulation. The results indic
ate that fuelwood is a significant
source of energy in the target area. For 31% of respondents it is the major energy source and for
64% it is a supplementary source. The high rate of use of wood as fuel corresponds to the poor
financial situation of respo
ndents and the easy accessibility of wood, but only from the
surrounding area (own garden or adjacent land). Wood resources are often very distant (on
average over 1,000 metres) as a consequence of high deforestation. This study reveals that there
is a non
-
sustainable trend of forest conversion resulting in high land degradation in Tapanuli
Utara regency.
Kirjeldus
Article
Märksõnad
rural household, energy sources, Indonesia, developing countries, articles