Charcoal, a commonly used fuel source used all around the world for cooking and various other thighs has a dark place of origin. The Charcoal which we normally don’t give much thought is obtained by plundering hundreds of acres of rainforest wood illegally in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), due to the current economic crisis communities living near the national parks and reserves are devoid of clean drinking water, clean cooking fuel, and electricity. The lack of clean drinking fuel, electricity, and cooking fuel creates a demand for alternative sources of fuel which is then fulfilled by the usage of Charcoal since Charcoal is made of wood and the production of Charcoal is not required in the big cities hence the production and its legality is in the gray area which then is exploited by local rebel militias and crime syndicates who go into National Parks such as the Virunga National park and illegal produce Charcoal, additionally, the Charcoal producers are armed and at the slightest hint of confrontation by Park rangers they open fire which has resulted in the deaths of several Park rangers. The Charcoal syndicate is also involved in Gorilla Poaching, and other endangered animals residing in the park. Due to the illegal clearing of rainforest for Charcoal production, the Gorilla habitat is slowly shrinking, once the rainforest is cleared at the fringes of the park after the Charcoal is made from that wood Humans come in and settle on the now empty land and slowly the Gorilla habitat is getting Fragmented and encroached upon.
Virunga National Park, DRC, November 2020. Villagers fuel a kiln to make charcoal © Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
Environmental Devastation
Due to the illegal clearing of forests for Charcoal, there is increasing pressure on the National parks and other forest sites which are fast losing their tree cover, leading to soil erosion, loss of endemic species, and water scarcity. According to some estimates, almost 70% of the deforestation in areas rich in biodiversity is due to Illegal Charcoal production entirely controlled by criminal syndicates and rebel groups. The Illegal Charcoal market is estimated to be worth of about $300 million which is a lot of money i those parts of the world and hence simple blanket ban is not effective in curtailing the loss of forests due to Charcoal. Moreover, the poor economic situation exasperated by the resource curse of DRC is helping to keep the region poor and the Illegal Charcoal Market benefits from the region being poor as the locals need to be involved in the Charcoal production business to survive.
Human Impact
Charcoal production has a negative impact on humans as well, as the use of Charcoal in households exposes the women who do the cooking to noxious fumes day in and day out which has an adverse impact on their health, The loss of biodiversity leads to the less timber collection for the forest dwellers who depend on timber for their livelihood and also medicinal plants may become extinct which is useful in manufacturing pharmaceuticals or consumption of those plants to cure ailments instead of going to a doctor. Water Scarcity leads to a lack of clean drinking water forcing the locals to drink contaminated water which introduces deadly water-borne diseases into the population, also the widescale deforestation induces short-term climate change in the area leading to erratic climatic conditions which is detrimental to agriculture in the region. The rampant and widescale clearing of forests introduces the Human population to deadly diseases that were hidden inside the Rainforest safe, away from Humans but once in contact, they can wreak havoc on the population like Covid did.
Tackling the Charcoal crisis requires a multi-pronged approach and requires the administration to provide alternative livelihoods to communities depending on Charcoal, stronger laws should introduced to combat illegal logging and Charcoal production, sustainable forestry and agro-forestry practices should be promoted and the communities living at the edge of National Parks should be encouraged to co-exist with the forest.
