Deforestation in power line construction in the Central African Region

Power transmission lines in forest regions like the southern parts of Cameroon are subjected to numerous failures arising from natural hazards, including earth faults and line ruptures provoked by swaying or falling neighbouring trees and their branches. To pre-empt this problem, those trees which represent a potential threat to the operation of the power line must be eliminated. Deforestation during line construction phase therefore becomes inevitable, and this leads in turn to the destruction of flora and fauna. The need hence arises to implement a deforestation strategy during power line construction which limits the negative impact of loss of forestry and wildlife resources on the environment to an acceptable level. In this paper a method is proposed which limits the level of destruction of vegetation and respects modern environmental standards during the construction of power lines through dense forest regions. It is shown that the required right-of-way depends on the quantity of power to be transmitted, on the voltage level chosen for the transmission, on the type of accessories used for the line construction and on the relief of the line track. Consequently, the relevant parameters for deforestation have been identified, listed and analysed. This leads to a good overview of the required deforestation level in the design and realisation of a power transmission line. The environmental impact assessment of transmission line projects can hence be better quantified and compared in aspects that relate to the protection of trees in the fight against global warming and desertification. Key words: Power line construction, right-of-way, deforestation, environmental impact, global warming, desertification