Ecosystem services trade-offs from high fuelwood use for traditional shea butter processing in semi-arid Ghana

Jasaw, Godfred S., Saito, Osamu, Gasparatos, Alexandros, Shoyama, Kikuko, Boafo, Yaw A. and Takeuchi, Kazuhiko, (2017). Ecosystem services trade-offs from high fuelwood use for traditional shea butter processing in semi-arid Ghana. Ecosystem Services, 27(Part A), 127-138

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  • Sub-type Journal article
    Author Jasaw, Godfred S.
    Saito, Osamu
    Gasparatos, Alexandros
    Shoyama, Kikuko
    Boafo, Yaw A.
    Takeuchi, Kazuhiko
    Title Ecosystem services trade-offs from high fuelwood use for traditional shea butter processing in semi-arid Ghana
    Appearing in Ecosystem Services
    Volume 27
    Issue No. Part A
    Publication Date 2017-10
    Place of Publication Online
    Publisher Elsevier B.V.
    Start page 127
    End page 138
    Language eng
    Abstract Traditional production of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) butter uses large amounts of fuelwood. This study examines the effects of shea production on the environment by identifying the ecosystem service trade-offs due to the high fuelwood consumption. Fuelwood species inventories for different land use types and on-site plot-based standing biomass measured. We estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and changes in carbon stocks for different shea products in rural and urban settings. Results suggest that, processing of shea can cause a significant change of carbon stocks in the four study villages and result in the loss of carbon sequestration ecosystem services. For GHG emissions, rural shea butter processors emit 3.14–3.31 kg CO2 eq/kg shea butter, while urban processors emit slightly less (2.29–2.54 kg CO2 eq/kg shea butter). We identify trade-offs with several other provisioning (woodland products), regulating (erosion control) and cultural ecosystem services (religious and spiritual values). Such findings can initiate discussions about the hidden environmental and socioeconomic costs of current shea production practices. Potential strategies to enhance the sustainability of shea production include the adoption of improved stoves, sustainable fuelwood harvesting practices, parkland management, alternative fuels, and product pricing premiums to fund the adoption of cleaner shea processing technologies.
    UNBIS Thesaurus GHANA
    Keyword Carbon Stocks
    Ecosystem Services
    Fuelwood
    Shea
    Savanna Landscape
    Copyright Holder Elsevier B. V.
    Copyright Year 2017
    Copyright type All rights reserved
    DOI 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.09.003
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    Created: Wed, 20 Sep 2017, 10:24:45 JST by PEGUES, Susan Scott on behalf of UNU IAS