Abstract:
Wood and charcoal supply the majority of sub-Saharan Africa’s rural energy needs. The
long-term supply of fuelwood is in jeopardy given high consumption rates. Using airborne
light detection and ranging (LiDAR), we mapped and investigated savanna aboveground
biomass across contrasting land uses, ranging from densely populated communal areas to
highly protected areas in the Lowveld savannas of South Africa. We combined the LiDAR
observations with socio-economic data, biomass production rates and fuelwood consumption
rates in a supply–demand model to predict future fuelwood availability. LiDAR-based biomass
maps revealed disturbance gradients around settlements up to 1.5 km, corresponding to the
maximum distance walked to collect fuelwood. At current levels of fuelwood consumption
(67% of households use fuelwood exclusively, with a 2% annual reduction), we calculate that
biomass in the study area will be exhausted within thirteen years. We also show that it will
require a 15% annual reduction in consumption for eight years to a level of 20% of households
using fuelwood before the reduction in biomass appears to stabilize to sustainable levels. The
severity of dwindling fuelwood reserves in African savannas underscores the importance of
providing affordable energy for rural economic development.
