THREE separate studies have estimated that charcoal consumption in Dar es Salaam has a household use of between 2.7 and 3.5 of the larger 56kg bags per annum. By extrapolating from this figure to the total population of the commercial capital it is possible to estimate the total amount of charcoal that is entering and being used here.

Those who conducted the studies, Andy Edge and Neil Burgess from Cambridge University, UK, together with Rogers Malimbwi of Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro Region, suggest that currently there may be as many as 13 million bags of charcoal being used in Dar es Salaam and that this could potentially rise to 20 million by 2020.

This gives a current estimated charcoal consumption in Dar es Salaam to be within the area of 590,000 tonnes per year. Now studies have shown that six to eight cubic metres of wood are needed to produce one tonne of charcoal.

This means the amount of wood required to produce Dar es Salaam's charcoal to be around 4,200,000 metric tonnes a year.

"Although no more forest would need to be degraded to satisfy current charcoal demands for the city, the areas already ruined wouldn't be allowed to recover. This is due to the population growth in the city.

In reality new areas of woodland would need to be spoiled in order to meet the growing demand for charcoal," the researchers maintain.

There is also another dimension to consider they add, which states that carbon dioxide is one of the primary greenhouse gases that cause global warming. This is released by the burning of fossil fuels, as well as by the clearance or degradation of forest habitats.

Therefore, they stress that to produce the 590,000 tonnes of charcoal consumed annually; around 3,000,000 tonnes of wood has to be burned.

It must be remembered that about 47 per cent of miombo woodland trees is carbon and with a 90 per cent release rate, 1,270,000 tonnes of carbon will be converted to CO2 each year, for Dar es Salaam to be supplied with charcoal.

Miombo woodlands have the characteristics of having long dry seasons, with a high rate of evaporation and a short rainy period, with averages of 650 to 750mm in most cases. It was earlier shown that wood was estimated to be harvested at a rate of around 6.38 metric tonnes per hectare per year.

However, it was also stated that this regenerates at a rate of around 2.3 metric tonnes per hectare per year.

"Most of the charcoal production is taking place in the woodland areas around Dar es Salaam. Miombo woodland has an importance because of its populations of large mammals but is relatively low in terms of endemic plants and animals.

There is also the added complication that charcoal burning destroys the habitat and opens the area up for hunting and agriculture encroachment," the researchers state.

All the same the three researcher's: Edge, Burgess and Malimbwi studies reveal that there is likely to be a considerable impact of charcoal production in the eastern part of the country on both miombo and coastal forest habitats.

This will impact on populations of large mammals and on the conservation of narrowly endemic species of plants and animals in the areas. They also conclude that the use of charcoal in Dar es Salaam is considerable and increasing, in line with population growth due to lack of alternative fuel and energy sources.

Their findings also show that the volume of wood required to produce the charcoal consumed is considerable and increasing. As forest close to the city is degraded, the exploitation of new woodland and forest areas is expanding away from here.

This expansion has now reached some hundreds of kilometres away from the City. The research has also shown that the CO2 emission from charcoal production is considerable and also rises in line with the increase in the amount of charcoal that is consumed and the distance that the charcoal needs to be transported from.

The clearance of miombo woodland and coastal forest to supply Dar es Salaam's charcoal has a major impact on biodiversity, with a number of the nearby forests being made practically extinct due to the impact of charcoal burning.

This has been allowed to continue unabated for many years, which is part of the reason why the three researchers conducted the above studies. By collecting all the above information they have clearly shown the extent of the damage to vegetation, animals and mammals caused by charcoal production.

However, they have not done this to shock but to make it possible for all those interested to be fully acquainted with the reality. This will put them in a better position to put their energy towards finding solutions towards rectifying the wrongs.

According to the Senior Conservation Officer of the WildLife Conservation Society of Tanzania, Paul Nnyiti, Edge, Burgess and Malimbwi have shown that by allowing the extensive use of charcoal in towns, Dar es Salaam being an example, means there is too much a concentration on this fuel and energy source and not enough use of alternative sources. If this could be curtailed then the forests would be preserved.

"There are several types of alternatives, which need subsidies from the Government. Things like kerosene and liquefied gas to be sold at a cheaper price. Also the appliances that use these energy sources should be made more affordable to many people. Then we would save the forest, otherwise we are quite worried," He explains.

The current problem rests on the inability of the authorities to see that everybody who is dealing with charcoal is licensed. There is also another added dimension, which stems from the fact of charcoal being overly commercialised to the extent that it is being smuggled from here to Zanzibar or even to the Middle East.

Under the law this is not allowed. Another area that needs to be rectified, Nnyiti says concerns the size of bags being used now are almost 60kg, whereas the official one stated in the forest laws is 28kg, has not been changed.

Therefore, those official charcoal producers are not paying the right fee for what they are getting. This is stealing from the government.

"Given that one tonne of charcoal uses 10 tonnes of wood to be made", the Conservation Officer says, "the Government should entice people in towns to refrain from its use and make more use of fire wood, where possible, which would also help redress the situation.

All it takes is to design stoves which use fire wood. This is why they should control the amount of charcoal coming into the towns and reduce the price of alternative fuels."

He also mentions of having a need to enlist other arms of the law towards enforcing the laws that protect the forests instead of having to depend on the Forest Division alone.This work needs a team spirit in order to succeed purpose.