Jornal de Biodiversidade e Espécies Ameaçadas

Survey of Charcoal Production and its Impact on Plant Diversity and Conservation Challenges in Abeshige District, Gurage Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Belachew Garedew and Legesse Simon

Charcoal is the principal energy producing fuel commonly used in urban and institution households for cooking and heating whereas rural settlements is commonly used firewood. This paper aims to explore charcoal production and its impact on plants diversity and conservation challenges around Wolkite Town, Gurage zone. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches was used in data collection and analysis. These methods include: questionnaire, interview, observation and market survey. The findings show that charcoal and wood fuel is the means of revenue for the people leading to desertification due to the source of domestic fire in use. Also another mean of domestic fuel such as kerosene, electricity, coal and gas are not made available at affordable rates and therefore does not encourage the use of continuous and constant supply. Acacia species and Combretum species were the most preferred species due to the quality of charcoal (moisture content, volatile matter, ash content and duration time) and wood fuel products it produces. The result of investigation revealed that the plant diversity in the study area was tremendously being depleted.