Fuelling human-wildlife coexistence with energy efficient Improved Cook Stove
In the verdant embrace of the foothills of the Himalayas, where whispers of ancient stories mingle with call of wildlings, lies the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar. The landscape has been shared by the indigenous Tharu tribe and other communities with wildlife since many centuries. The communities here have been dependent on the forest for food, fodder and firewood. Over the past decade, Valmiki Tiger Reserve is witnessing a rebounding wild animal population, including large carnivores, as a result of constant conservation efforts. However, this has also led to increasing incidences of human-large carnivore conflicts. As communities continue to utilise the forest lands as before, unaware of the potential threats, with no moderations in traditional practices, it will result in increased risk to their life and wellbeing besides affecting health of the forest. Loss of life, livestock and property by wild animals, in human dominated landscape, add to the woes. For the safety of both people and wildlife, and preventing the situation turning into retaliation against wildlife, this is right time to take precautions for predictable vulnerabilities.
Valmiki Tiger Reserve landscape | Photograph by Dr. Samir K Sinha/WTI
Easing coexistence by dipping firewood demand
Firewood extraction is among the most pertinent threats here in VTR. Apart from contributing to localised forest degradation, it has a colossal effect on life and wellbeing of the communities. The traditional kitchens, with firewood cook stoves are small and in confined space with minimal ventilation. The smoke generated in these kitchens have been known to severely affect respiratory health, especially of the women who primarily manage the kitchen. Added to this is the risk of interactions with large carnivores when collecting fuelwood in large-carnivore territories. Locals are mostly aware of these risks but majority are bound to the traditional fuel source due to poor economy and inaccessibility to alternative fuels.
Limiting people’s need to frequent forests for firewood is an effective way to reduce the risks, while simultaneously limiting resource extraction. Reducing the demand of fuelwood for cooking by providing alternate fuel source or fuel-efficient cooking stoves is a promising strategy. Providing LPGs connections under the government’s Ujwala scheme seems to be an option, but it has its own limitations, such as affordability by poor, restricting its adoption by majority of families. Biogas is yet another sustainable substitute, but collection of dung from free range cattle to feed the biogas digester is a major bottleneck. These make firewood the more preferred cooking fuel for local communities. Thus, reducing firewood consumption is the proximal strategy to deal with the problems and can be achieved by fuel-efficient kitchens. Considering these factors, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) took the initiative to improve the energy efficiency by empowering the local communities to construct and use Improved Cook Stoves (ICS).
Workshop on construction of Improved Cook Stoves | Photograph by Swyam Shankar/WTI
Improved Cook Stoves for a safer life
The ICS model promoted in the region is designed to increase the fuel-efficiency of stoves and improve kitchen environment. Improved Cook Stoves retain the traditional mud stove design and construction material but is engineered to enhance complete burning of fuel and prevent heat wastage. Provided with smoke outlets, the models can be self-customized to any space in a household. The traditional elements of cooking stoves have been retained by using mud for construction for better acceptance among the local communities. As a strategic addition, customised mud pipes are used as smoke outlet. These are produced by local potters. Such mud stove would also help maintain the traditional practices of discarding and constructing new stoves on occasions such as birth, death and similar instances in the family.
The ICS consumes at least 40% less fuel than the traditional stoves – ultimately reducing the need to venture into the forest. Average fuelwood consumption in the region is approximately 1.3 kg per capita per day. Subsequently, this intervention should reduce uncalled negative interactions of villagers with large carnivores. This will also reduce cooking time and respiratory health implication on women who inhaling smoke for 4-6 hours a day when cooking. The time saved in firewood collection and cooking will also allow womenfolk to scope for additional livelihood or explore their ethnic skills. The introduction of ICS will also help enhance the income of the local potter community who will supply the mud chimney pipes.
Workshop on ICS construction and installation in villages of Manguraha Forest Range, VTR | Photograph by Chattu Kumar/WTI
Training and support for ICS end-users
Traditionally, women construct and care for the cook stoves. Thus, the popularisation and adoption of it must be driven by women. It is important to develop a cadre of trained women groups to construct and demonstrate Improved Cook Stoves in the village kitchens. WTI consequently organised hands-on training workshops for 25 women from three target villages under the “Living with Large Carnivores – Integrative coexistence through community empowerment” project, implemented by the Wildlife Trust of India and Chester Zoo and Valmiki Tiger Reserve Management with the support of Darwin Initiative in the Manguraha Forest Range of VTR. These women will operate as master trainers and train fellow villagers to take the initiative forward. It is anticipated that this initiative will support the installation of ICS in more than 1400 households, across the region.
Starting a chain reaction through empowering women – the household cooks, to be master trainers on construction of ICS, will certainly be step forward in encouraging reduced human-wildlife conflict in the VTR landscape.
by Dr Kamalika Bhattacharyya
