Conservation Priorities for Prunus africana Defined with the Aid of Spatial Analysis of Genetic Data and Climatic Variables

Abstract

Conservation priorities for Prunus africana, a tree species found across Afromontane regions, which is of great commercial interest internationally and of local value for rural communities, were defined with the aid of spatial analyses applied to a set of georeferenced molecular marker data (chloroplast and nuclear microsatellites) from 32 populations in 9 African countries. Two approaches for the selection of priority populations for conservation were used, differing in the way they optimize representation of intra-specific diversity of P. africana across a minimum number of populations. The first method (S1) was aimed at maximizing genetic diversity of the conservation units and their distinctiveness with regard to climatic conditions, the second method (S2) at optimizing representativeness of the genetic diversity found throughout the species’ range. Populations in East African countries (especially Kenya and Tanzania) were found to be of great conservation value, as suggested by previous findings. These populations are complemented by those in Madagascar and Cameroon. The combination of the two methods for prioritization led to the identification of a set of 6 priority populations. The potential distribution of P. africana was then modeled based on a dataset of 1,500 georeferenced observations. This enabled an assessment of whether the priority populations identified are exposed to threats from agricultural expansion and climate change, and whether they are located within the boundaries of protected areas. The range of the species has been affected by past climate change and the modeled distribution of P. africana indicates that the species is likely to be negatively affected in future, with an expected decrease in distribution by 2050. Based on these insights, further research at the regional and national scale is recommended, in order to strengthen P. africana conservation efforts.

Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman: The Overexploitation of a Medicinal Plant Species and Its Legal Context

“…africana has been discussed extensively in literature with reference to its plant ecology and genetic diversity, [18][19][20][21][22] traditional uses, 14,23,24 chemical constituents in relation to treating BPH, [25][26][27][28] exploitation and conservation strategies 14,17,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] and policy and regulation aspects of trade. 15,37 Despite the extensive literature, less attention was paid to the legal aspects of trade, which started in a legal vacuum in the early 1970s, until 1992, when the first international agreement on the conservation of nature, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), was signed.…”

Power, profits and policy: A reality check on the Prunus africana bark trade

“…First, climate change influences on P. africana populations (Mbatude et al 2012;Vinceti et al 2013). The range of the species has been affected by past climate change and the modeled distribution of P. africana indicates that the species is likely to be negatively affected in future, with an expected decrease in distribution by 2050 (Vinceti et al 2013).…”

“…First, climate change influences on P. africana populations (Mbatude et al 2012;Vinceti et al 2013). The range of the species has been affected by past climate change and the modeled distribution of P. africana indicates that the species is likely to be negatively affected in future, with an expected decrease in distribution by 2050 (Vinceti et al 2013). Second, although pioneering work had been undertaken on chemotypic (Martinelli et al 1986) and genetic variation in P. africana (Barker et al 1994), the extent of variation across different sites, and the need for conserving this variation of P. africana populations remains.…”

“…Second, although pioneering work had been undertaken on chemotypic (Martinelli et al 1986) and genetic variation in P. africana (Barker et al 1994), the extent of variation across different sites, and the need for conserving this variation of P. africana populations remains. This genetic and chemotypic variation reflects ancient dispersal routes and evolution of P. africana in separate and vulnerable montane forest "islands" in Africa and Madagascar (Kadu et al 2011(Kadu et al , 2012aVinceti et al 2013). Third, current destructive harvesting practices affect the reproductive future and genetic diversity of exploited populations (Farwig et al 2008).…”

Gene dispersal inference across forest patches in an endangered medicinal tree: comparison of model-based approaches

“…Kalkman (Rosaceae). Its distribution has been declining and it is currently restricted to some mountain regions in Africa and a few adjacent islands (Kalkman, 1965;Vinceti et al, 2013). It has raceme inflorescences, each consisting of approximately 17 small white pentamerous flowers.…”