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Coverage

Honduras

Project time

February - June 2015

Objectives/scope

Project objective: Carry out a multi-scale pan-tropical modeling of the Non-Renewable Biomass fraction (fNRB) of woodfuels use in order to strengthen GACC action by highlighting priority areas of intervention. The study has a multi-scale geospatial approach : Tier 1 covers tropical countries (see pan-tropical case study), Tier 2 covering Karnataka (see case study) , Kenya and Honduras (here profiled), and Tier 3 covering select areas within such countries for in-depth project-level analyses.

Institutional settings

GACC Yale-UNAM project "Geospatial Analysis and Modeling of Non-Renewable Biomass: WISDOM and beyond" (see pan-tropical case study)

Scale/resolution

The Honduras case study (Tier 2) has a spatial resolution of analysis of 100 m. fNRB rates are produced at Department level (18 units).

Demand features

The consumption in the residential sector was based on data from Census 2001 (georeferenced to 28,000 villages). Update to 2012 was based on data from the latest Demographic and Health Survey (ENDESA 2012). Woodfuel consumption was estimated and mapped for coffee processing based on coffee statistics and land use data. Consumption for other uses (commercial and industrial), missing national data, was based on regional data.

Supply features

The supply potential was mapped using land use/ land cover data, biomass stock map and productivity estimates based on stock/MAI relation. Two scenarios were considered: a "medium productivity" using two equations based on observations referring to tropical coniferous an tropical broadleaves, and a "low productivity", more conservative, using a single equation based on the same set of observations used for the pan-tropical tier 1 study. Legal accessibility map was created using protected areas. Map of Physical accessibility (transport time - return trip loaded) was built ad-hoc based on 90m DTM and land cover data (friction) and detailed road and settlement data (target)

Integration features

The supply/demand balance was estimated and mapped at pixel level and in a local context of 4.5 km. Commercial balance was mapped considering the resources economically viable.

Woodshed/bio-shed analysis

Woodshed analysis was based on weighted interpolation using Dinamica EGO, combining fuelwood demand from major deficit sites and friction parameters. The probable harvesting zones and degradation rates were estimated/mapped for alternative scenarios based on various assumptions on transport time thresholds and use of land cover change by-products.

Integration with other aspects

Non-renewable biomass fraction (fNRB) of woodfuels harvesting. Range of fNRB values were estimated, based on assumptions about supply scenarios and on the use of deforestation by-products.

Findings/conclusions

Woodfuel demand in Honduras in 2012 was 3.8 Mt od . Of this, 46-47% is unsustainable, corresponding to 1.7-1.8 Mt tons DM of woody biomass, if the biomass released as byproduct of deforestation is actually used as fuel. However, if these byproducts are excluded, the unsustainable share of fuelwood harvested directly from the forests is quite small. Indeed, there is a relative abundance of woody biomass available throughout the country. In addition, in coffee-growing regions, a ubstantial amount is produced sustainably via regular pruning of shade trees.

Publications

Drigo R, Bailis R, Ghilardi A, Masera O.2015. WISDOM Honduras - Analysis of woodfuel supply, demand and sustainability in Honduras. Tier 2 Report. GACC Yale-UNAM Project "Geospatial Analysis and Modeling of Non-Renewable Biomass: WISDOM and beyond".