Sawnwood substitution in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and its linkage to environmental conservation
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Date
2016-01-16
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Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography
Abstract
There is an increased trend of global awareness and discussions on the contribution of building designs and
materials in global warming and greenhouses gases emissions. The use of wood materials in the construction
sector is also increasing hence linked to forest industries and conservation, building sector, global warming and
global climate change. The construction sector contributes directly and indirectly to environmental degradation
and greenhouses gases emissions. With the current global awareness on climate change and adaptation, the
substitution of wood products in the construction sector in Tanzania is inevitable. Despite its signiicant growth, the
substitution of sawnwood by different alternatives in Tanzania is not well examined. Therefore, this study forecasted
the substitution of sawnwood for year 2016, 2021 and 2026 for Dar es Salaam using income elasticity of demand
to explain the effects of these substitutions to the environment. The consumption of sawnwood in none storey
buildings, medium category and high category buildings were 2.69 m 3 , 3.1 m 3 and 5.3 m 3 respectively. In 2012, Dar
es Salaam consumed a total of 8,706.9 m 3 of sawnwood for doors and window frames in about 2878 new buildings.
Kinondoni district consumed 42.2%, Ilala district 34.8% and Temeke district 23% of the total sawnwood. The per
capita sawnwood consumption for building in Dar es Salaam in 2012 was 2.7 m 3 while for aluminium was 46.2
m 2 . Windows showed high substitution of sawnwood compared to doors with aluminium being the main substitute
material. The forecasted per capita consumption of sawnwood and aluminium materials for buildings in 2026 was
3.4 m 3 and 86.8 m 2 respectively. Sawnwood consumption in none storey buildings is increasing as a results of high
rate of urbanization and economic growth hence increased number of middle-income population which causes an
increased demand and construction of houses for residential purposes. The increased demand for construction
materials have negative impacts to the environment where these materials are harvested. We recommend further
research on the effects of substitution of sawnwood and the promotion of lesser-known and underutilized sawnwood
species to strengthen wood industry in Tanzania due to the current high demand of sawnwood and high substitution
rates.
Description
Keywords
Substitution efects, Sawnwood consumption, Income elasticity, Elasticity of demand, Construction sector, Building industry, Forest sector, Environmental conservation