THE IMPACT OF FUELWOOD HARVESTING ON BIODIVERSITY LOSS: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF BENIN ENVIRONS

Abstract

The fragile forest ecosystem has suffered serious degradation due to the continuous dependence of man on 
wood. This study was carried out to examine and evaluate the impacts of fuel wood harvesting activities on 
biodiversity loss in Benin environs. Images from Landsat 4 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat7 Enhanced 
Thematic Mapper (EMT), and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imagery (OLI) were used. Equally close ended 
questionnaire was employed. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed and retrieved as the purposive 
and snowball sampling method were employed to the 12 communities making up the environs of Benin. 
The Shannon- wiener diversity index on the average was 1.9 with a nonlinear response to harvesting 
intensity, indicating high species diversity. In general, fuel wood consumption was an average of 1,452 
kg/person/year of tree biomass. However, poorer communities, consume 35,976 kg/person/year. 
Harvesting is concentrated to a few early successional species with the most common species being 
Hymenostegia afzelii with recorded 65 (16%), Afzelia Africana 58(14%) Khaya senegalensis had 54(13%) 
while Alstonia boonei 12 had the least percentage of 2.9%. Fuel wood harvesting which is a profitable 
business cannot be ignored as a major source of forest degradation and its impact on the environment on 
the source regions is biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. The study recommended the 
introduction of fuel-efficient cooking device and afforestation programme as a means of conciliating 
biodiversity conservation with poverty amelioration is an urgent task.