D. Balancing livelihood provision and forest preservation: Charcoal Production in Zambia, Kazungu

Balancing livelihood provision and forest preservation: Charcoal Production in the Miombo areas of Zambia. Moses Kazungu, Environmental Social Economist, Social Sciences in Landscape Research Group, Research Unit Economics and Social Sciences, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Switzerland(With Eliza Zhunusova, Anastasia Lucy Yang, Gillian Kabwe, Davison J. Gumbo, Sven Günter) Forests are vital for rural communities in tropical areas, including Zambia, where they cover over 60% of the land, providing income opportunities and ecosystem services. In Zambia's Miombo areas, forests are the primary source of fuelwood. However, limited research on forest use strategies hampers effective rural livelihood improvement and forest preservation policies. Our study focused on four landscapes in Zambia's Copperbelt province, including restricted and non-forest areas. We surveyed 412 households between 2017–2018 and used multinomial logistic regression to determine the factors affecting forest use choices. Charcoal production varied: 4.03 m3/year/AEU (447.29 kg/year) in restricted landscapes and 2.43 m3/year/AEU (269.51 kg/year) in non-restricted areas. Forest strategies included specialised charcoal sellers, forest food and charcoal sellers, and pure subsistence users. Age, household size, off-farm income, distances, and restrictions influenced charcoal households. Findings emphasize the importance of understanding household forest use strategies to inform targeted policy designs for rural livelihoods. Moses Kazungu, PhD, is an Environmental Social Economist specializing in forest economics. He obtained his doctoral degree from the Technical University of Munich, where his research focused on rural household forest use, behaviours, and their connection to deforestation and forest degradation in the Miombo areas of Zambia. Dr. Kazungu is a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forests, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) in Birmensdorf, Switzerland. His current research interests revolve around understanding public preferences for forest ecosystems and assessing the impacts of forest restoration approaches on perceived forest ecosystem benefits in Europe.