Nick’s story

Nick Molyneux carrying a tray of briquettes.

“Here in Timor-Leste,” says development worker Nick Molyneux, “one of the greatest threats to the natural environment is the felling of trees to provide wood for cooking fires. Almost the entire population rely on wood fuel to cook on a daily basis.”

The environmental impacts are huge, from loss of biodiversity to soil erosion and reduced soil quality.

And so are the social impacts. “In households where fuel wood is collected,” says Nick, “family members can spend up to 15 hours a week searching for and carrying the wood back to their home.

“And for households that live within Dili and other towns (and therefore cannot search the countryside for their own wood), the cost of buying fuel wood can be as much as an average daily wage.

“This situation cuts to the core of my role, which is to address unsustainable resource use and promote sustainable livelihoods in Timor-Leste, including building the capacity of local staff to identify, address, advocate and lobby on these issues.”

Working with the environmental organisation Haburas, Nick set about identifying a sustainable alternative to fuel wood. He came up with bio-briquettes, which are made from readily available waste products such as coffee husk, rice husk and sawdust.

Nick set up a pilot project, sourcing the raw materials, designing fuel efficient stoves, and training local people in the production and marketing process.

Once the project establishes a market for the briquettes, “it will tangibly reduce the negative impact of fuel wood collection on Timor-Leste’s forest and marine ecosystems,” says Nick.

“And better still, the project will empower marginalised groups (such as youth groups, who are involved in the pilot); encourage independent income generation; and promote sustainable livelihood strategies.

“It’s what you might call a win-win project in the making...”