Assessing human pressure on wild food and forage tree species for designing effective conservation actions in West Africa Sahel region
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Date
2021-05-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ethnobotany Research and Applications
Abstract
Background: High harvesting of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) for food and fodder supply leads many tree species to be vulnerable or endangered due to overexploitation. This study aimed to assess harvesting pressure on food and forage species and to understand how the socio-economic profile of people affects their perception on species state as well as on the impact of harvesting methods on species dynamics.
Methods: Semi-structured ethnobotanical surveys were conducted near the active stakeholders involved in NTFPs harvesting - children, women, herders, and former actors (old persons >50 years old, both women and herders). Hundred and four (104) people from 4 ethnic groups were interviewed. We have calculated the overharvesting index (OI) based on three pressure parameters: Fidelity level of use (FL), Relative frequency of harvesting (FH) and Relative intensity of pruning (IP). The difference between respondent’s perceptions on species state was tested using logistic regression followed by analysis of variance of the model.
Results: The overharvesting index (OI) showed that eight (8) species are overharvested of which the first three species are Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir (OI = 122.1%), Saba senegalensis (A. DC.) Pichon (OI = 100%) and Lannea microcarpa Engl. & K. Krause (OI = 97.4%). These overharvested species are generally exploited using destructive methods, especially branch pruning for leaves and/or fruits harvesting. Local people´s perception on species state was significantly influenced by the type of actors and their age (p<0.0001 for both). This suggests that specific awareness message considering socio-economic profiles of people need to be developed for a truth conservation impact on the field. 82.3% of respondents declared that harvesting methods have no significant impact on species state, revealing that most people are still using forest resources in traditional considerations.
Conclusion: Raising awareness, based on scientific information highlighting the effects of harvesting methods on the regeneration and functional traits of NTFPs species, could contribute positively to changing people’s consideration of the sustainable use of species.
Description
Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 21, 1–11
Keywords
Harvesting methods, Local perception, NTFPs, Overharvesting, Stakeholders, CEFORGRIS, Fidèle Bognounou, Issaka Joseph Boussim, Oumarou Ouédraogo, Joseph Ki-Zerbo University and Ouaga II University, Burkina Faso
Citation
Hien, B. S., Bondé, L., Da, S. S., Bognounou, F., Boussim, I. J., & Ouédraogo, O. (2021). Assessing human pressure on wild food and forage tree species for designing effective conservation actions in West Africa Sahel region. Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 21, 1–11. Retrieved from https://ethnobotanyjournal.org/era/index.php/era/article/view/2627