Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Human impact on wild firewood species in the Rural Andes community of Apillapampa, Bolivia

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Firewood is the basic fuel source in rural Bolivia. A study was conducted in an Andean village of subsistence farmers to investigate human impact on wild firewood species. A total of 114 different fuel species was inventoried during fieldtrips and transect sampling. Specific data on abundance and growth height of wild firewood species were collected in thirty-six transects of 50 ×2 m2. Information on fuel uses of plants was obtained from 13 local Quechua key participants. To appraise the impact of fuel harvest, the extraction impact value (EIV) index was developed. This index takes into account local participants’ appreciation of (1) decreasing plant abundance; (2) regeneration capacity of plants; (3) impact of root harvesting; and (4) quality of firewood. Results suggest that several (sub-)woody plant species are negatively affected by firewood harvesting. We found that anthropogenic pressure, expressed as EIV, covaried with density of firewood species, which could entail higher human pressure on more abundant and/or more accessible species. The apparent negative impact of anthropogenic pressure on populations of wild fuel species is corroborated by our finding that, in addition to altitude, several anthropogenic variables (i.e. site accessibility, cultivation of exotics and burning practices) explain part of the variation in height of firewood species in the surroundings of Apillapampa.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Beck, S. G., Paniagua, N., Yevara, M., & Liberman, M. (2001). La vegetación y uso de la tierra del altiplano y de los valles en el Oeste del Departamento de Tarija, Bolivia. In S. G. Beck, N. Paniagua, & D. Preston (Eds.), Historia, ambiente y sociedad en Tarija, Bolivia (pp. 47–94). Instituto de Ecologia, UMSA, School of Geography, University of Leeds. La Paz, Bolivia: Editorial Instituto de Ecologia.

  • Bentley, J., & Valencia, J. (2003). Learning about trees in a Quechua-speaking Andean community in Bolivia. In P. Van Mele (Ed.), Way out of the woods: Learning how to manage trees and forests (pp. 70–95). Newburg: CPL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, A., & Wagner, J. R. (2003). Who knows? On the importance of identifying “Experts” when researching local ecological knowledge. Human Ecology, 31, 463–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dünnwald, C., & Vega, A. (1998). Am Anfang einer Energoekrise?! Ergebnisse einer Brennholzverbrauchsstudie im bolivianischen Hochland. Mitteilungen der Bundesanstalt für Holzwirtschaft, 190, 281–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellen, R., Parkes, P., & Bicker, A. (2000). Indigenous environmental knowledge and its transformations: Critical anthropological perspectives. Amsterdam: Harwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Etkin, N. L. (2002). Local knowledge of biotic diversity and its conservation in rural Hausaland, northern Nigeria. Economic Botany, 56, 73–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fepade (Fundación Ecuménica Para el Desarollo) (1998). Diagnostico del distrito de Apillapampa. Cochabamba, Bolivia.

  • FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) (2001). Informacion para el Desarrollo Forestal Sostenible: Estado de la informacion forestal en Bolivia. Santiago: FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • García, E. E., & Beck, S. G. (2006). Puna. In M. Moraes, B. Ollgaard, L. P. Kvist, F. Borchsenius, & H. Balslev (Eds.), Botánica Económica de los Andes Centrales (pp. 51–76). La Paz: Universidad Mayor de San Andres.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellier, A., Newton, A. C., & Ochoa Gaona, S. (1999). Use of indigenous knowledge for rapidly assessing trends in biodiversity: A case study from Chiapas, Mexico. Biodiversity and Conservation, 8, 869–889.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, S., Shackleton, C. M., & Robinson, E. R. (1999). Changes in woody community structure and composition under contrasting landuse systems in a semiarid savanna, South Africa. Journal of Biogeography, 26, 619–627.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hjortsø, C. N., Jacobsen, J. B., Kamelarczyk, K. B. F., & Moraes, M. (2006). Economía forestal en Bolivia. In M. Moraes, B. Ollgaard, L. P. Kvist, F. Borchsenius, & H. Balslev (Eds.), Botánica Económica de los Andes Centrales (pp. 533–557). La Paz: Universidad Mayor de San Andres.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, R. G. M., Groenendijk, J. P., Coppus, R., Fehse, J. C., & Sevink, J. (2002). Impact of pine plantations on soils and vegetation in the Ecuadorian High Andes. Mountain Research and Development, 22, 159–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ibisch, P. L. (1994). Flora y vegetación de la provincia Arque, departamento Cochabamba, Bolivia: III. Vegetación. Ecología en Bolivia, 22, 53–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibisch, P. L. (2002). Evaluation of a rural development project in southwest Cochabamba, Bolivia, and its agroforestry activities involving Polylepis besseri and other native species—a decade of lessons learned. Ecotropica, 8, 205–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibisch, P. L. (2003). Degradación y pérdida de la biodiversidad terrestre por su utilización directa: Flora. In P. L. Ibisch, & G. Mérida (Eds.), Biodiversidad: La riqueza de Bolivia. Estado de conocimiento y conservación (pp. 214–216). Santa Cruz: Editorial FAN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibisch, P. L., & Mérida, G. (Eds.) (2003). Biodiversidad: La riqueza de Bolivia. Estado de conocimiento y conservación. Santa Cruz: Editorial FAN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibisch, P. L., Carretero, A., Beck, S. G., Cúellar, S., Espinoza, S. D., & Araujo, N. V. (2003). Estado de conservación de la biodiversidad: El caso de los bosques andinos. In P. L. Ibisch, & G. Mérida (Eds.), Biodiversidad: La riqueza de Bolivia. Estado de conocimiento y conservación (pp. 272–285). Santa Cruz de la Sierra: Editorial FAN.

    Google Scholar 

  • INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica) (2007). Bolivia: Hogares, según área geográfica y combustible utilizado para cocinar, 1998–2003. http://www.ine.gov.bo. Accessed 15 November 2007.

  • Israel, D. (2002). Fuel choice in developing countries: Evidence from Bolivia. Economic Development & Cultural Change, 50, 865–891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jongman, R. H. G., Ter Braak, C. J. F., & Van Tongeren, O. F. R. (1996). Data analysis in community and landscape ecology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaschula, S. A., Twine, W. C., & Scholes, M. C. (2005). The effect of catena position and stump characteristics on the coppice response of three savanna fuelwood species. Environmental Conservation, 32(1), 76–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, M. (2006). Bosques de Polylepis. In M. Moraes, B. Ollgaard, L. P. Kvist, F. Borchsenius & H. Balslev (Eds.), Botánica Económica de los Andes Centrales (pp. 110–120). La Paz: Universidad Mayor de San Andres.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, M., & Driesch, P. (1993). Causas e historia de la destrucción de bosques altoandinos en Bolivia. Ecología en Bolivia, 21, 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, R., & Shahabuddin, G. (2005). Effects of biomass extraction on vegetation structure, diversity and composition of forests in Sariska Tiger Reserve, India. Environmental Conservation, 32, 248–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luoga, E., Witkowski, E., & Balkwill, K. (2002). Harvested and standing wood stocks in protected and communal miombo woodlands of eastern Tanzania. Forest Ecology and Management, 164, 15–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahamane, L., & Mahamane, S. (2005). Biodiversity of ligneous species in semiarid to arid zones of southwestern Niger according to anthropogenic and natural factors. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 105, 267–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCune, B., & Mefford, M. J. (1999). PC-ORD version 4.0: Multivariate analysis of ecological data. Gleneden Beach: MjM Software.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molina, A., Reigosa, M. J., & Carballeira, A. (1991). Release of allelochemical agents from litter, throughfall, and topsoil in plantations of Eucalyptus globulus Labill in Spain. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 17, 147–160.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakul, C., Sharma, E., Deb, D. C., & Sundriyal, R. C. (2002). Impact of firewood extraction on tree structure, regeneration and woody biomass productivity in a Trekking Corridor of the Sikkim Himalaya. Mountain Research and Development, 22, 150–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Navarro, G. (2002). Vegetación y unidades biogeográficas. In G. Navarro & M. Maldonado (Eds.), Geografía ecológica de Bolivia: Vegetación y ambientes acuáticos (pp. 1–500). Cochabamba: Centro de Ecología Simón I. Patino.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedrotti, F., Venanzoni, R., & Suarez Tapia, E. (1988). Comunidades vegetales del valle de Capinota. Ecologia en Bolivia, 11, 25–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts-Pichette, P., & Gillespie, L. (1999). Terrestrial vegetation monitoring protocols. EMAN Occasional Paper Series Report No. 9, Ontario, Canada.

  • Shackleton, C. M., Griffin, N., Banks, D. I., Mavrandonis, J., & Shackleton, S. E. (1994). Community structure and species composition along a disturbance gradient in a communally managed South African savanna. Vegetatio, 115, 157–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Souto, X. C., Bolano, J. C., González, L., & Reigosa, M. J. (2001). Allelopathic effects of tree species on some soil microbial populations and herbaceous plants. Biologia Plantarum, 44, 269–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, E. (2009). Quantitative ethnobotany in Bolivia: Knowledge, use and diversity of plants in Quechua, Yuracaré and Trinitario Communities from the Andes and Amazon. Saarbrücken: VDM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, E., Vandebroek, I., & Van Damme, P. (2007). What works in the field? A comparison of different interviewing methods in ethnobotany with special reference to the use of photographs. Economic Botany, 61, 376–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, E., Vandebroek, I., Goetghebeur, P., Sanca, S., Arrazola, S., & Van Damme, P. (2008). The relationship between plant use and plant diversity in the Bolivian Andes, with special reference to medicinal plant use. Human Ecology, 36, 861–879.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, E., Vandebroek, I., Sanca, S., & Van Damme, P. (2009a). Cultural significance of medicinal plant families and species among Quechua farmers in Apillapampa, Bolivia. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 122, 60–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, E., Vandebroek, I., Van Damme, P., Goetghebeur, P., Douterlungne, D., Sanca, S., et al. (2009b). The relation between accessibility, diversity and indigenous valuation of vegetation in the Bolivian Andes. Journal of Arid Environments, 73, 854–861.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, E., Vandebroek, I., & Van Damme, P. (2009c). Valuation of forests and plant species in indigenous territory and National Park Isiboro-Secure, Bolivia. Economic Botany, 63, 229–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, E., Van Damme, P., & Goetghebeur, P. (2010). Some factors determining species diversity of prepuna and puna vegetations in a Bolivian Andes region. Plant Ecology and Evolution, 143, 31–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veach, R., Lee, D., & Philippi, T. (2003). Human disturbance and forest diversity in the Tansa Valley, India. Biodiversity and Conservation, 12, 1051–1072.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams-Linera, G. (2002). Tree species richness complementarity, disturbance and fragmentation in a Mexican tropical montane cloud forest. Biodiversity and Conservation, 11, 1825–1843.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Ethnobotany, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Evert Thomas & Patrick Van Damme

  2. Sistemas de Producción Alternativos, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Careterra Panaméricana y Periférico Sur s/n, Colonia Maria-Auxiliadora, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, c.p. 29290, Mexico

    David Douterlungne

  3. Institute of Economic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, New York, NY, 10458, USA

    Ina Vandebroek

  4. Research Group Spermatophytes, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Frieke Heens & Paul Goetghebeur

Authors
  1. Evert Thomas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Douterlungne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ina Vandebroek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Frieke Heens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Paul Goetghebeur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Patrick Van Damme
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Evert Thomas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thomas, E., Douterlungne, D., Vandebroek, I. et al. Human impact on wild firewood species in the Rural Andes community of Apillapampa, Bolivia. Environ Monit Assess 178, 333–347 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1693-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1693-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation