Use patterns, use values and management of Afzelia africana Sm. in Burkina Faso: implications for species domestication and sustainable conservation

Abstract

BackgroundThe lack of literature on the interactions between indigenous people and the valuable agroforestry trees hinder the promotion of sustainable management of plant resources in West African Sahel. This study aimed at assessing local uses and management of Afzelia africana Sm. in Burkina Faso, as a prerequisite to address issues of domestication and sustainable conservation.MethodsOne thousand forty-four peoples of seven dominant ethnic groups were questioned in 11 villages through 221 semi-structured focus group interviews. The surveys encompassed several rural communities living around six protected areas along the species distribution range. Questions refer mainly to vernacular names of A. africana, locals’ motivations to conserve the species, the uses, management practices and local ecological knowledge on the species. Citation frequency was calculated for each response item of each questionnaire section to obtain quantitative data. The quantitative data were then submitted to comparison tests and multivariate statistics in R program.ResultsA. africana is a locally well-known tree described as a refuge of invisible spirits. Due to this mystery and its multipurpose uses, A. africana is conserved within the agroforestry systems. The species is widely and mostly used as fodder (87.55%), drugs (75.93%), fetish or sanctuary (70.95%), food (41.49%), and raw material for carpentry (36.19%) and construction (7.05%). While the uses as fodder, food and construction involved one organ, the leaves and wood respectively, the medicinal use was the most diversified. All tree organs were traditionally used in 10 medical prescriptions to cure about 20 diseases. The species use values differed between ethnic groups with lower values within the Dagara and Fulani. The findings reveal a total absence of specific management practices such as assisted natural regeneration, seeding, or transplantation of A. africana sapling. However, trees were permanently pruned and debarked by local people. Harvesting of barks mostly contributed to the decline of the species populations. Local people acknowledged declining populations of A. africana with lower densities within the agroecosystems. They also perceived between individuals, variations in the traits of barks, leaves, fruits and seeds. Significant differences were found between ethnic groups and gender regarding the species uses. Local knowledge on the species distribution differed between ethnic groups.ConclusionThis study showed the multipurpose uses of A. africana throughout Burkina Faso. The results provide relevant social and ecological indicators to all stakeholders and constitute a springboard towards the species domestication and the elaboration of efficient sustainable conservation plans.

Aboveground biomass allometric equations and distribution of carbon stocks of the African oak (Afzelia africana Sm.) in Burkina Faso

“…; Fabaceae), well known for its wide distribution in Africa. This species is overexploited for its excellent quality timber, barks and foliage in Burkina Faso (Balima et al 2018) and other African countries (Donkpegan et al 2014). Despite the multipurpose uses and widespread distribution of A. africana, specific allometric equations for its biomass prediction are not available, limiting the assessment of its contribution to carbon mitigation.…”

Heterospecific Tree Density and Environmental Factors Affect Afzelia africana Sm. Population Structure in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, West Africa: Implications for Management and Restoration

“…Afzelia africana Sm. (Fabaceae-Caesalpinioideae) is a dry forest and woodland multipurpose tree used in traditional livestock systems, folk medicine, and as fuel wood by local people in West and Central African geographical areas of occurrence and dominance (Balima, Nacoulma, Ekue´, Kouame´, & Thiombiano, 2018;Bationo, Ouedraogo, & Guinko, 2001;Houehanou, Assogbadjo, Gle`le`Kakaı¨, Houinato, & Sinsin, 2011;Mensah, Houe´hanou, et al, 2016;Se`wade´, Azihou, Fandohan, Houe´hanou, & Houinato, 2016). In the agropastoral zone of Benin, the branches are pruned by Fulani ethnic groups, and the foliage serves as fodder to feed their livestock during the dry season (Se`wade´et al, 2016).…”

“…Although several local and regional scale research studies have been conducted on A. africana in West Africa, most have fallen short of addressing such ecologically important aspects, especially in protected areas. Currently, there is substantial documentation on the species use patterns, values and management (Balima et al, 2018), human disturbance, land use and climatic influence (Mensah et al, 2014;Nacoulma, Lykke, Traore, Sinsin, & Thiombiano, 2017;Sinsin, Eyog-Matig, Assogbadjo, Gaoue, & Sinadouwirou, 2004), habitat floristic compositions (Bonou, Gle`le`Kakaı¨, Assogbadjo, Fonton, & Sinsin, 2009;Mensah, Houe´hanou, et al, 2016), and structure and height-diameter allometry (Amahowe et al, 2017;Assogbadjo et al, 2017). In the meantime, we still lack information on how the species responds to local environmental variation in protected habitats.…”

Characterization of 15 nuclear microsatellite markers for Afzelia africana (Fabaceae) and related species

“…africana is listed as a vulnerable tree species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (African Regional Workshop, ). In West Africa, much research effort has been invested in promoting the sustainable management and conservation of the species by assessing the local importance of its uses (Houehanou et al., ; Balima et al., ) and the variation of its population attributes in relation to climatic condition and anthropogenic disturbance (Nacoulma et al., ; Mensah et al., ; Amahowe et al., ). However, little is known of the population genetics of A. africana , as is the case for most endangered African tree species (Houehanou et al., ).…”