Ethnicity Differences in Uses and Management Practices of Bitter Kola Trees ( Garcinia kola ) in Cameroon
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aboratory of Applied Botany, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon DIADE, University of Montpellier, IRDMontpellier, France 3 Research Unit of Fauna, Protected Areas, Sylviculture and Wood Technology, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon 4 Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teacher’s Training College, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon 5 AMAP, University of Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAEMontpellier, France 6 World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) West and Central Africa Region, Humid Tropic Node, Yaoundé, Cameroon *Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected] 2
Ethnicity Differences in Use Values and Management Practices of Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola) in Cameroon. Bitter kola (Garcinia kola) is an indigenous multipurpose tree species in West and Central Africa, threatened by overexploitation and classified by the IUCN as vulnerable. Understanding local knowledge and management patterns in different socioecological contexts could contribute to designing strategies for conservation and long-term use of the species. In order to characterize the parts of the plant and the harvesting techniques that are used by different ethnic groups in Cameroon, we conducted surveys through the use of semi-structured questionnaires (N = 182) in six different sites covering different agroecological zones where the species is present (forest and savanna). Ethnic groups from the savanna agroecological zone shared similar patterns in G. kola organs/parts used and harvesting techniques, but these patterns differed among ethnic groups from the savanna and forest zones and within the forest zone. Ethnic groups from the savanna zone mainly harvest the species for its seeds that are used as stimulants. Conversely ethnic groups from the forest zone mainly collect bark and roots, and uses differ between agriculturalists (Fang and Bassa) and hunter-gatherers (Baka). These patterns have direct consequences on species management practices. Savanna farmers applied sustainable harvesting as they extract fruits and seeds and planting more trees in order to increase the species’ contribution to their livelihood. People in the forest zone destructively felled standing trees, threatening the species in its natural environment. The influence of these results on the conservation status of the species in the region are discussed.
1 Received 25 April 2020; accepted 11 October 2020; published online ___________
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-02009508-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Economic Botany, XX(X), 2020, pp. 1–16 © 2020, by The New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, NY 10458-5126 U.S.A.
ECONOMIC BOTANY
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Différence ethnique dans les usages et les pratiques de gestion du colatier à noix amères (Garcinia kola) au Cameroun. Garcinia kola est un arbre fruitier à usages multiples d’Afrique du Centre et de l’Ouest surexploité et classé comme vulnérable par
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