Title
Impacts of communal fuelwood extraction on LiDAR-estimated biomass patterns of savanna woodlands
Abstract
This study investigated the biomass patterns and sustainability of fuelwood extraction in the Lowveld of South Africa, where rural households are highly dependent on fuelwood from savannas. The objectives of this study were (i) to compare LiDAR-derived biomass between communal areas and references sites in conservation areas, and (ii) to investigate the sustainability of various future scenarios of fuelwood consumption, using a village-specific, supply-and-demand model based on biomass maps and socio-economic data. On granitic substrates the communal rangelands had an average of 12 ton/ha, which is less than half the biomass of the conservation sites. Under the current rate fuelwood consumption, i.e. 67% of households using fuelwood exclusively at an average of 3.5 ton per household per year, all biomass in the investigated site would be depleted within twelve years. Therefore, policies and interventions that promote the diversification of affordable energy alternatives and rural economic development are desperately needed.
Year
DOI
Venue
2012
10.1109/IGARSS.2012.6351204
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium
Keywords
Field
DocType
optical radar,remote sensing by laser beam,vegetation,LiDAR-derived biomass,LiDAR-estimated biomass patterns,Savanna woodlands,South Africa,affordable energy alternatives,biomass maps,communal areas,communal fuelwood extraction,communal rangelands,conservation areas,current rate fuelwood consumption,fuelwood consumption scenarios,references sites,rural economic development,rural households,socio-economic data,supply-and-demand model,village-specific model,LiDAR,biomass,fuelwood,savanna woodlands
Woodland,Biomass,Vegetation,Computer science,Remote sensing,Lidar,Diversification (marketing strategy),Optical radar,Agroforestry,Rangeland,Sustainability
Conference
ISSN
ISBN
Citations 
2153-6996 E-ISBN : 978-1-4673-1158-8
978-1-4673-1158-8
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
0
8
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Konrad J. Wessels19820.52
Barend Erasmus251.99
Matthew Colgan3242.38
Gregory P Asner412720.91
Renaud Mathieu512517.29
Wayne Twine600.34
jan van aardt73310.55
Izak Smit852.97