Conservación de los bosques a través de estufas ahorradoras de leña
Kafa is the birthplace of wild coffee, Coffea arabica, where it has been consumed for more than 1,000 años. There are now close to 5,000 wild varieties of coffee in this biodiversity hotspot. A unique coffee culture is deeply ingrained in the Ethiopian economy and history. This culture is a key element of the participatory forest management scheme created in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve to avoid deforestation and boost economic development.
NABU (The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) and its partners have worked towards the preservation of these forests obtaining the establishment of the UNESCO Kafa Biosphere Reserve in June 2010 and implementing the project: “Climate Protection and Preservation of Primary Forests – A Management Model using the Wild Coffee Forests in Ethiopia as an Example“.
El proyecto logró la producción y distribución de 11200 estufas de ahorro de habitantes, aunque fruto de la colaboración con el departamento de energía de la energía. 70 jóvenes desempleados recibieron formación organizado y equipado y desplegado en 11 producción y 25 sitios satélites.
The dependency on biomass energy: a driving force for deforestation
© Mesfin Tekle
Only 40 Hace años, algunos 40% of the Ethiopian land surface was occupied by forests. Hoy, less than 3% remains, largely in the Kafa coffee biosphere reserve, which still boasts large areas of mountainous afromontane cloud forest. The forest ecosystem makes an important contribution to the livelihoods of people in the area. It provides wild coffee, valuable spices and honey from wild bees. It also contains some 25 million tons carbon in above-ground biomass. Algunos 600,000 tons of carbon could be removed from the atmosphere annually through natural forest growth – if the forest remains intact. But it is endangered due to clear-cutting for smallholder agriculture and industrial coffee and tea plantations, and the intensive use of biomass.
Etiopía atiende actualmente para 96 por ciento de su requerimiento de energía a partir de biomasa. Debido a este hecho muchos hogares satisfacer su demanda por la tala de árboles forman el bosque / bosques naturales disponibles y tierras arbustivas. Esta situación ha sido citado como una de las fuerzas impulsoras de la deforestación. Al igual que en otras partes de la gente del campo de Kafa utilizan principalmente los productos de madera para el fuego. La leña proviene de los bosques cercanos. Además de eso, el combustible de biomasa se utiliza sobre todo ineficiente. Esto tiene una relación directa con los ingresos del hogar y de presupuesto de tiempo. Cuanto más ineficiente que la madera se utiliza el más tiempo que las mujeres y los niños va a gastar en la recolección de leña.
There is no electric power plant in the Biosphere Reserve. Electricity is supplied only to a few areas of the reserve by an external hydro-power plant.
Energy-efficient stoves and other renewable energy sources
© Katrin Lammers. The solar system in Gimbo.
Among the activities carried out by NABU’s Climate and Forest Project to mitigate the impact of meeting energy requirement using biomass, there are two main lines of action: promotion of community plantations with fast-growing tree species as fuel wood and introduction of efficient wood-burning stoves.
In this last case, the target of the project is to introduce energy-saving stoves to the communities in Kafa Biosphere Reserve. 11200 stoves were distributed until September 2012. The plan says that 10000 stoves will be distributed to households with high wood consumption by September 2012. La nueva técnica de estas estufas no sólo reduce la cantidad de madera necesaria para la cocción por medio, sino que también ahorra los bosques, tiempo para el usuario y produce menos humo y fuego. The stoves are therefore a source of great relief to the people and the forest and have been very well received.
Para producir y distribuir las estufas NABU está trabajando estrechamente con el Departamento de Zona Kafa del Agua, Minas y Energía. Como parte de esta cooperación 70 jóvenes desempleados fueron capacitados como productores estufa y apoyo para iniciar su negocio de producción.
In collaboration with GLEN (Global Education Network of Young Europeans) a study has been conducted on alternative energy sources where coffee husk briquets, bio-gas y solar aparecieron como igualmente relevantes.
Annually, in the area of biosphere reserve, acerca de 100 t of coffee husk is produced. This represents an ideal material for briquetting. But not only the coffee husk: dry leftovers from other crops processing (e.g. maize, sorghum etc.) can be used as well. Another source is biogas production, based on two big potential sources: cattle dung and coffee pulp.
The Kafa Water, Mining and Energy Department has started to implement some renewable energy programs in its “5 years strategic plan” – starting from 2011. 450 PV solar panels were distributed until September 2012.
Lessons learned and potential replicability
The acceptance of wood-saving stoves is very high and they are easily adapted by users. Renewable Interactive Map, local communication and education are essential. The importance of the training programme for young people to help them expand their own knowledge of climate and forest protection is recognised. In turn, they can share this knowledge and raise the awareness of other members of their communities.
With regard to energy, solar power has a high potential and there are multiple benefits of using solar energy in the area. But before installing new panels it is necessary to prepare and train technical staff that will work in the zone.
The successful results of this project may have a significant impact on other areas of the region with similar characteristics and needs. This would be the case of Yayu Biosphere Reserve, also in Ethiopia, and of other similar areas, like the Ituri region in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
