Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.9 Large areas of land have been cleared for agriculture, leaving only small
fragments of tropical seasonal forest remaining, as shown here in Guanacaste, Costa
Rica.
(Photo by author.)
completing clearing the forest, large amounts of valuable hardwoods are being
burned. Production of this crop is considered one of the most important causes of
deforestation in seasonal forests of the Neotropics.
Firewood removal and charcoal production are important staples in the lives
of many people living in and around tropical seasonal forests and are responsi-
ble for a sizeable amount of forest degradation. Within the tropics, an estimated
70-80 percent of all harvested wood is used to meet the household needs of
people in developing countries, and in Africa this proportion increases to
90 percent. Due to the growing demand for fuelwood and the slow growth of
trees in the dry forests, a wood shortage is quickly occurring. Fuelwood is typi-
cally collected by family members for personal use; thus, the more families in
an area, the more affected a forest will be. Two patterns of fuelwood collection
are noted. The forested areas surrounding a population center are first depleted
of wood and families must then travel farther to find wood. Fuelwood is more
accessible in areas where logging operations have passed due to a supply of
wood scraps left behind and the creation of roads further improving access to
the forest. Once wood is no longer readily available, destruction of open forests
and dry woody vegetation follows quickly. Extensive fuelwood collection in
marginal areas can lead to total destruction of the forest and conversion to
savanna or desert.
