Within the framework of project implementation as well as a stand-alone service, numerous publications are prepared to convey knowledge and experience in an application-oriented and illustrative manner for a broader audience and experts alike. Here you will find a selection of publications in the fields of Biomass energy/ woodfuels and related, Forest policy and governance and related and Protected area management/ biodiversity conservation and related.
Forest mining for the charcoal trade continues in Madagascar. With increasing energy demands from populated agglommerations this is liquidating the resource by the day. For the German PAGE programme in Madagascar ECO Consult's Dr. Steve Sepp and Dr. Frank Richter are sketching the only viable solution to overcome the vicious circle of poverty and resource overexploitation. The brochure illustrates their integrated approach to 1) replace informal, competitive utilization of wood for charcoal making by legalized and controlled production and trade, 2) reduce pressure on natural forests by way of community plantations 3) make the carbonisation process more energy-efficient.
For the EC-funded programme "Agroforestry Support Programme around Antananarivo" (ASA) ECO Consult experts Martial Charpin and Dr. Frank Richter have analysed the influx of fuelwood into Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo. In their summary in Bois et Forêts des Tropiques they describe the fuelwood trade as compared with consumption trends in various sectors and call for rapid action to prevent the country's remaining forests from falling prey to uncontrolled and non-sustainable logging. Their fresh data are intended to facilitate domestic public intervention, in line with the Analamanga regional authority's first regional fuelwood supply masterplan that was also co-advised by them.
For the German-Malagasy Sustainable Management of the Environment Programme (PAGE) ECO Consult experts Dr. Mike Temmerman, Dr. Frank Richter et al. have assessed the technical and environmental performance of the Green Mad Retort charcoal-making kiln. Modernized kilns are a prerequisite for more sustainable energy provision through carbonization of wood from eucalyptus plantations in northern Madagascar, and lowered greenhouse gas emissions. The external combustion chamber kiln produced high (34%) and very stable mass yields, even from wood with a high moisture content. Methane emissions were 5 to 17 times lower than published emission figures for other carbonisation techniques.
For over a decade, Madagascar's PGM-E programme was technically advised by ECO Consult. It set a milestone in terms of livelihood improvement, rural market development, land rehabilitation and more sustainable energy supplies. In ETFRN News 56, Steve Sepp and co-authors describe the programme's benefits in terms of a (climate-smart) landscape approach.
What makes people chose one energy carrier over another? How can the specific advantages and limitations of each, firewood, charcoal and LPG, be considered jointly within a comprehensive, inter-sectoral energy strategy? Steve Sepp argues to discard the classical antinomy of 'traditional fuel vs. modern fuel' as insinuated by the energy ladder. The brochure provides up-to-date statistics, lessons and suggestions for governments and household energy-related programmes.
Steve Sepp's analysis, for the GIZ HERA household energy programme, presents key advantages of wood-based fuels, principal challenges and success stories in favour of wood energy.
For a long-term, sustainable perspective of household fuel supplies to Madagascar's urban agglommerations the best option is for a resource-saving, decentral exploitation of wood as locally available source of fuel. Land tenure plays a key role for people to take charge of regenerating the resource base and make a living from wood energy production. "Village-based inpidual afforestation" has proven first-choice to create incentives and promote the users' necessary capacities within a viable and favorable administrative framework.
In a condensed paper, ECO Consult's Dr. Steve Sepp and Dr. Stefan Mann present what can be deferred as lessons learnt and recommendations for wood fuel supply interventions in a variety of contexts.
"Le Reboisement villageois inpiduel": Des modèles pour générer des revenues at améliorer l'approvisionnement d'énergie – leçons apprises du projet GREEN-Mad, Madagascar
Preserving Senegal's natural common goods and securing energy supply through a participatory and proactive management of forests is the goal of the PERACOD programme. In this set of issue papers ECO describes instruments to facilitate tenureship, strengthen people's organisational development, and establish sustainable marketing chains for energy provision.
Cornelia Sepp and Stefan Mann on progress and success factors of national forest programme implementation in as yet 76 countries (ETFRN News, Issue 53, 2012).
GTZ's Environment and Climate Change pision assesses potentials of "Forest Governance in a Rapidly Changing World".
One of ECO Consult's most thorough implementation experience concerns the Mauritano-German bilateral cooperation in natural resources management, GRN. "Gestion des ressources naturelles en Mauritanie" is a presentation of impacts, lessons learnt and challenges from 10 years of on-site interventions (2001-2011).
Implementation experience and lessons from the Katavi-Rukwa Conservation and Development Programme, Tanzania
In the 500-pages compilation the German-ASEAN Regional Forest Programme (ReFOP) offers a synthesis of the experience from around 20 projects supported by GIZ. It contains primary sources such as recommendations, guidelines, field manuals and pre-defined table formats for information retrieval, valid througout Southeast Asia.
Which minimal standards can be established for the management of Peru's 77 state protected areas? The team of the German-Peruvian PDRS program ave elaborated on such guidelines for planning, monitoring and evaluation on the basis of surveys and their contextual project work.
"Interpretación del Patrimonio Natural y Cultural": The brochure of the PDRS program, Peru, Programa Desarollo Rural Sostenible) was the first publication nationwide, to describe natural and cultural heritage sites as they are actually conceived and interpreted by residents. It was handed over to the Peruvian Ministry of Evironment for dissemination and discussion.
In the publication, the German-Peruvian programme PDRS, parts of which were implemented by ECO, exemplifies how the reality of climate change makes itself felt in daily life. The compilation of personal testimonies was conceived as a companion to the exhibition “The climate is changing, and so is my life".