Abstract: Land-use/land-cover change is a significant cause, or forcing function of global change and the medium through which many human responses to global change will occur. Analyzing the key drivers of forest and land use land cover change (LULC) is an effective way of assessing the impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) changes in ecosystem function. A study was conducted to assess the key drivers of forest cover change and land use land cover change (LULCC) and its associated impacts on the livelihoods of the study area. About 128 respondents were interviewed to assess possible causes of the forest cover change and LULCC. The result of survey assessment indicated that recurrent drought (100%), wood extraction (100%), increased in human population size (99.2%), infrastructural expansion (settlement expansion and road construction) (81.3%), policy and institutional factors (70.3%), economic factors (64.9) and expansion of cultivation (32.1%) and social-cultural factors (26.6%) were largely responsible for the observed LULC changes in the study area. Consequently, change in forest cover and land use, land cover were affected different livelihood strategies of the communities like; human resources, forest production, crop and livestock production, financial and their social capital resources. Thus, collaborative forest management arrangements with the local communities and improved law enforcement strategies were essential to ease the present human influence on the natural forest and enhance sustainable management.Abstract: Land-use/land-cover change is a significant cause, or forcing function of global change and the medium through which many human responses to global change will occur. Analyzing the key drivers of forest and land use land cover change (LULC) is an effective way of assessing the impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) changes in ecosystem function. A s...Show More
Abstract: The Low heating value, reaction time, burning temperature and gas emission of jatropha seed cake respectively from whole, kernel and crushed seeds preheated at 25°, 50°, 75° and 100°C temperature and under 8400, 15000 and 19500 pounds pressure levels were assessed. At this effect, the combustion process consisted in introducing 20 g of each cake sample type into a one liter volume burning chamber and 130 g of water also into one liter water compartment of a designed combustion unit. The main results were as follow. The highest lower Heating value (21,51±93,64 MJ/kg) was obtained with the cake from crushed seeds preheated at 100°C and under of 15000 pounds pressure. The highest reaction time (1072,66±153,44 seconds) was registered with cake from kernel seeds also preheated at 100°C but with 19500 pounds pressure. The highest burning temperature was recorded from the whole jatropha seed cake. The highest carbon monoxide level ( ) was recorded during crushed and whole seeds cake combustion while the carbon dioxide level was the highest with the kernel seed cake.Abstract: The Low heating value, reaction time, burning temperature and gas emission of jatropha seed cake respectively from whole, kernel and crushed seeds preheated at 25°, 50°, 75° and 100°C temperature and under 8400, 15000 and 19500 pounds pressure levels were assessed. At this effect, the combustion process consisted in introducing 20 g of each cake sa...Show More