A major tropical forest threat is the demand for fuelwood. Nearly two billion people depend on it as a natural resource for cooking and heating. Fuelwood consumes well over 80 percent of all wood produced in the Third World. On average, each person in developing countries uses 16 cubic feet of wood per year.
Many developing nations presently export their wood at a very small percentage of its value. Nonfuelwood (industrial) production accounts for 20 percent of the total wood actually removed from tropical forests. Of the wood produce which remains in developing countries, 80 percent is used for fuel.
Unless remedies are found, 2.4 billion people, approximately one-third of the world's population, will be involved in a wood famine during the early years of the 21st century. Because of lack of wood, the burning of cow dung has become a replacement. The problem with burning dung is that this practice robs the fields of much-needed nutrients (fertilizer). As population increases in developing nations around the world, food production must keep up with the demand. The cycle of fuelwood, cow dung, and food production are interconnected.
