Fear of an upcoming woodfuel crisis caused by
increasing woodfuel consumption in Bamako has had great
influence on forestry policies aiming to reduce the impacts
of urban woodfuel consumption. During the last 20 years,
energy gap analyses—the relationship between supply and
demand of woodfuels—have been produced by the government
of Mali to prove the impacts of woodfuel
consumption in Bamako on surrounding woodlands. This
study evaluates the methodology and data used to describe
this woodfuel crisis through a comparison with regional and
historical data. The results of the energy gap analyses are
challenged by using different estimates of woody resource
availability and woodfuel consumption to create best and
worst case scenarios. These show either high surpluses or
high deficits with a difference of 2.7 million tons/yr. The
woodfuel system of Bamako is highly dynamic and it is
very difficult to evaluate its sustainability using a simple
methodology such as the energy gap analysis. Trends over
the last 20 years show a highly efficient woodfuel system
that has adapted to changing circumstances, ensuring a
continued affordable woodfuel supply for the urban
residents. Better data on the productivity of West African
woodlands and urban consumption are needed to avoid
misinterpretations of the impacts of woodfuel harvesting on
woody resources.