At the time of project preparation, forest-based traditional fuels (firewood and charcoal), mainly used for household cooking purposes, represented 53 percent of Senegal's final energy consumption. The bulk of the consumption of charcoal took place in the principal urban areas. Over the years, the operation of the charcoal industry in Senegal had resulted in (i) the gradual loss of forest cover (approximately 30,000 ha per year) degrading the ecosystem's carbon sequestration capacity and biodiversity; (ii) the degradation of the rural environment (particularly soils); (iii) the impoverishment of rural areas and an acceleration of rural exodus; and (iv) a massive transfer of wealth from the rural communities to a few city-based woodfuel traders. These negative impacts disproportionately affected rural women and children.

Demonstrated that the production and marketing of traditional biomass fuels can be stabilized, while arresting deforestation, contributing to ecological conservation and increasing village incomes. More than 20 percent of Senegal's woodfuel consumption in 2004 was derived from sustainably managed forests.

Highlights:
- Sustainable community-managed forests were established over an area of 378,161 ha (exceeding project targets), supplying more than 370,000 tons per year of sustainable fuelwood.
- As an incentive for respecting sustainable forest plans, villagers benefited from rural development and training schemes. Community-base micro enterprises were established including beneficiary-operated improved carbonization units, apiculture cooperatives, collective and individual agricultural diversification units/systems; livestock and poultry-raising, arts and crafts units, etc. While woodfuel and large liverstock activities where mostly led by men, all other activities where generally managed and operated directly by women.
- Established a sustainable incremental income generation base (wood and non-wood products) of about US$12.5 million per year, equivalent to a $40,000 average per participating village. Of that total, more than 30 percent resulted from women-led economic activities.
- More than 20 percent of Senegal's energy supplies were derived effectively from renewable resources in the form of sustainable woodfuels in 2004. (That share has increased to 50 percent today with the introduction of sustainable green wood cutting in an eight-year rotation program).
- Inter-fuel substitutions (switching from charcoal to kerosene and LPG) and improved stoves directly benefited some 250,000 families in the principal urban and peri-urban areas of Senegal, reducing negative health effects associated with in-door pollution.
- Training and micro-credit schemes helped create an economically viable market for improved stoves.

From project preparation to supervision, the World Bank worked in close collaboration with the Dutch Co-operation agency (DGIS) which contributed US$8.8 million. The Global Environment Facility also co-financed the project (US$4.7 million).