Trees Plantation for sustainable charcoal production

In developing countries, charcoal is one of the main energy source used for cooking. From this reality, SCIENCE is well aware that charcoal production could be responsible of tropical deforestation at the expense of rational land and forest use, leading to a fundamental regional disequilibrium.

Furthermore, world climatic changes are also concerned by this evolution because it is well known that the forests are the most important “carbon sink” capable of absorbing a great quantity of carbon dioxide.

In this context, SCIENCE takes part in an action plan initiated in a highly stricken region in Africa; South KIVU province of Democratic Republics of Congo. This project intends to plant leguminous trees on abandoned fields, the harvested wood will be transform into charcoal that will be sold on the local markets and large regional cities. Beside of this activity, the plantations will improve soil fertility because leguminous species fixe atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, which will permit the local population to grow vegetables on the plantation areas.

This pilot project, being implemented in the KITUTU/KANIOLA region not far from Bukavu entails several chapters among which:

• agroforestry aspect combining food production and tree growing
• a sustainable development aspect contributing to the reduction of the tropical deforestation

SCIENCE contributes to both aspects; this will help collecting experience which could be applied in several other countries in agreement with the European Commission initiatives FLEGT and REDD+