New cooking stoves cut firewood consumption
by half
The Ampay Forest Sanctuary, a small protected area
on the eastern slopes of the Peruvian southern
Andes, shelters one of the few relicts of single
native conifer - the "intimpa" (Podocarpus
glomeratus).
To protect this tree species, a WWF project is
encouraging the propagation of agroforestry species
as an alternative source of firewood. It is also
promoting the use of improved stoves as a means of
reducing consumption of firewood from the
Sanctuary and its buffer zone where deforestation
has recently caused a catastrophic landslide in which
many people died.
The new cooking stoves have cut firewood
consumption by more than half as
well as having a direct impact on family health
(elimination of smoke emissions within the house),
economy (cooking time is much shorter and
women have more spare time to invest in more
productive activities) and quality of life (cooking is
more comfortable because women do not have to
squat in front of a ring exposed to high temperatures
for long hours).
This new model of stove, promoted by IDMA
(Instituto de Desarrollo y Medio Ambiente), has now
been adopted by national-level projects, government
offices, local NGOs and neighbours.
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