Bio-diversity

According to recent studies in Lesotho: About 56% of households use firewood for cooking, 39% use LPGas/paraffin, 1.6% use electricity and 3.5% use other sources of energy. About 56% of households use Gas/oil for lighting, while about 38% use candles, about 10% use electricity and less than 1% use other forms of energy. About 90% of households do not have access to grid electricity; more than 70%, particularly those who live in rural areas, rely heavily on biomass fuels for major domestic energy end-uses. About 67% of all households use biomass fuels as main sources of energy for space heating while approximately 27% use paraffin, 4% use coal and LPGas, and electricity constituted about 3%. Almost 90% of energy consumption in the rural areas is sourced from indigenous biomass fuels consisting of shrubs, fire wood, crop residues and animal waste. This has resulted in the depletion for woody plants and animal droppings that might have been used to enrich the soil. The consequences n the environment have been devastating, further perpetuating the poverty cycle) It is highly predictable that the woodlots and reserves of shrubs in higher altitude zones which are harvested for fuel will soon be no longer available. The rate at which wood is harvested to fuel the traditional open cooking practice is faster than the rate at which wood grows leading to deforestation and soil erosion. It is therefore necessary to reduce pressure on wood fuel by increasing the cooking efficiency during food preparation and improving the conditions under which food is prepared. The traditional open wood stoves provide a vital source of heat and energy for households. However, besides their inefficient fuel combustion that causes high carbon monoxide emissions and has a devastating impact on the health of all people who gather around the fireplace, they exhaust large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) which contributes to global warming. Furthermore, one pound of fuel wood produces at least three times more heat when burned in an efficient stove than when it is burned in an open fire. In addition to this, a stove requires considerably less air to burn the fuel than does an open fire. An open fire will continue to suck warm air from the room as long as the room is warmer than the air outside, and so all the heat produced by an evening fire is lost to the sky at night. In conclusion, a stove provides up to eight times more heat than an open fire; not only can a stove heat the very largest rooms, the heat is also be absorbed into the walls which act as heat reservoirs. The introduction of wood saving household stoves that are designed for high efficiency and complete burning processes is supporting the reduction of GHG, and indoor and outdoor air pollution. Regarding the potential for efficient and accepted space heating (i.e. visible flame as indicator for heat), the proposed ARC/SSM StoveTec stoves will be promoted as wood saving room heater that avoids dangerous gases and maintains the heat even after the fire has gone off thanks to the ceramic inlay. The ISILIE project is meant to create for rural communities an opportunity for both to make efficiently use of the remaining biomass, and to engage in biodiversity conservation, thereby allowing the vegetative cover to regenerate. In the long run this will contribute to improving the carbon sinks towards mitigation of climate change impacts. As a follow-up to GEF funded studies and projects to foster conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources in the mountains of Lesotho, the large scale introduction of efficient household stoves presents a targeted and focused action in biodiversity conservation and community income generating that will not only enhance local livelihoods but also produce global environmental benefits.

Lesotho