Seasonal Variation in the consumption of biomass fuel in a rural community of arid Patagonia,Argentina

MORALES, DANIELA; MOLARES, SOLEDAD; LADIO A H

Ethnobiology and Conservation

Ethnobiology and Conservation

Lugar: Recife; Año: 2018 vol. 8 p. 1 - 20

2238-4782

The use of biomass as an energy resource is key to the subsistence and development ofdiverse rural populations throughout the world. Particularly, the study of seasonal variation infirewood consumption contributes knowledge that can be used in detailed communitymanagement of this resource. In a rural community of the Patagonian steppe, seasonalvariation in domestic consumption of fuel plants was studied. Possible socioeconomicconditioning factors (i.e., size of family unit, infrastructure of dwellings, number of combustionappliances used) were analysed, and seasonal variation in the richness of plant species usedwas determined. Average biomass consumption was found to be 12000 kg/year/home and1479kg/year/per capita, with significantly higher values during winter (63 kg/day/home), than insummer (18.5 kg/day/home). The richness of fuel species used varied significantly during theyear, and in line with biomass estimates, the highest use consensus for species was recordedduring winter and autumn, with exotic species predominating. The maximum difference inspecies was registered in autumn, due to an increase in the stockpiling of wood bought forwinter, when the preference is for high caloric value and accessible commercial price. Duringthe year the main species used were Salix spp. and Nothofagus antarctica (G. Forst.) Oerst.The differential needs as seen from a local perspective, and their use strategies, require anintegrated, multifaceted proposal, such as the progressive incorporation of high efficiencystoves and the implementation of local wooded areas for firewood