Impacts of Charcoal Production on Environment and Species Preference in Yaqshid District Mogadishu, Somalia

Abstract

Rangelands have been degraded in Somalia as a result of trees cutting or removal to supply the rising demand for charcoal. Charcoal is a common home fuel, and earnings from its commerce. Its production has resulted in deforestation and environmental deterioration. The objective of study was to determine the Impacts of charcoal production on the environment and identification of plant species utilized in charcoal production in charcoal trade Yaqshid district, Mogadishu Somalia. Methods: The study's design was descriptive, particularly cross-sectional. The target population was 86, Seventy participants were purposefully chosen among the charcoal traders, and the data was analyzed using SPSS (version 20), descriptive statistical tools, and Microsoft Excel 2013 for charts. Results: The charcoal production is one of the leading causes of deforestation, with average mean 1.51 and Standard deviation of 0.959 out of 5. Land degradation caused by charcoal production in the environment, with average mean 1.89 and Standard deviation of 0.956 out of 5. Although charcoal production results in the loss of biodiversity. Acacia bussei (Galool), Acacia tortilis (Qurac), Acacia nilotica (Tugaar), Acacia Senegal (Cadaad), Terminalia prunioides (Hareeri), and Prosopis Julifora (Ali gorob, Geed gaal, garanwaa) were the most commonly used trees for charcoal production. Conclusion: Due to a lack of availability and the high cost of cooking gas, demand for charcoal is increasing. As a result, the government should provide a steady supply of cooking gas at a minimum cost. This will ensure that households had access to cooking gas and thus dependent on forest will also be reduced which will be helpful in environment protection.