Dust storm over Chad. Desertification of this large African nation has contributed to the demise of a viable forestry industry.

Like most states of the African Sahel, Chad has suffered desertification—the encroachment of the desert.[1] Traditional herding practices and the need for firewood and wood for construction have exacerbated the problem.[1] In the early 1980s, the country possessed between 135,000 and 160,000 square kilometres of forest and woodlands, representing a decline of almost 14% from the early 1960s.[1] To what extent this decline was caused by climatic changes and to what extent by herding and cutting practices is unknown.[1] Regulation was difficult because some people traditionally made their living selling wood and charcoal for fuel and wood for construction to people in the urban center.[1] Although the government attempted to limit wood brought into the capital, the attempts have not been well managed, and unrestricted cutting of woodlands remained a problem.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Coats, Peter D. (1990). "Forestry". In Collelo, Thomas (ed.). Chad: A Country Study (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. ISBN 0-16-024770-5. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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