Renewable energy resource management : the case of fuelwood in developing countries | |
| Author | Shrestha, Ram M. |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no. IE-86-01 |
| Subject(s) | Underdeveloped areas--Renewable energy sources Wood as fuel |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | This dissertation deals with some key policy issues of fuelwood resource management in developing countries. The first part of the study comprises of qualitative discussion on diverse yet related issues of fuelwood consumption and supply. The second part considers analytically two specific issues of fuelwood management: intertemporal resource policies for managing a forest resource without restocking in the presence of a substitute and policies for the management of a commercial plantation for the production of fuelwood and higher valued wood products. A sensitivity analysis of the equilibrium policies with respect to parameter changes is also made. The problem of unrestricted access to natural forests and various policy options to achieve desirable resource usage are discussed. It is shown that the policy of subsidizing substitute fuel is not effective as an instrument of efficient forest management if fuelwood collection procedure does not have positive market valuation. Resource selection policies based on instantaneous relative costs are shown to be generally non-optima1. The prevailing wide variations in consumption estimates between different studies even for the same country are shown to be the result of inadequate accounting of the heterogeneity in fuelwood quality. |
| Year | 1986 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Industrial Engineering (IE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Clarke Harry R. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Balasubramaniam, A.S. ; Oudheusden, Dirk L. van ;Sauter-Servaes, Florian ;Sweeney, James L. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Japan |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1986 |