During the 2010 Italian Archaeological Mission to the area, an evaluation of plants and man in past and present times by looking at the wood fueling of kilns.
Above: A recently used kiln for lime production
Abstract
In fragile ecosystems, the prolonged use of wood for economic reasons may have important long-lasting consequences on the environment. Two lime production areas south of Kotri have been briefly investigated, in order to assess the importance of wood used in the kilns. Only two bushy species (Prosopis and Tamarix) are currently exploited in large quantity, due to the shortage of mature trees in the region. Their availability in the future may be the limiting factor of the productive sector.
Originally published in the Journal of Asian Civilizations, Vol. 33, No. 1, July 2010.