A Tree Grows in Kenya:

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Outline

• Introduction
• Kakamega Forest background
• Why Prunus?
• Questions
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Future research

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• Introduction setting the context
• Global deforestation trends
• Land-use context in Kakamega forest
• Agro-forestry as a respose to deforestation/specie
  s loss

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IntroductionDeforestation

• Deforestation (1990-2000 rates)
• Globally 0.2 annual forest loss
• 9,391,000 ha loss over 10 yrs
• Africa 0.8 annual forest loss
• 5,262,000 ha loss over 10 yrs
• Kenya 0.5 annual forest loss
• 93,000 ha loss over 10 yrs
• In 2000 forest comprised 30 of country
• Results in forest fragmentation and species loss
• Source Food and Agriculture Organization of the
  U.N. The State of the World's Forests 2003

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IntroductionKakamega forest

• Afro-montaine forest in western Kenya
• Small fragment of Guineo-Congolian rainforest
• High biodiversity
• High deforestation rates
• High population growth around forest
• Local population rely on forest for medicine,
  building materials,grazing, wood for charcoal,
  fuelwood.

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Introduction Agro-forestry

• Response to growing pressures on forest products
• Trees as part of the agricultural system
• Mirrors forest canopy structure
• Challenge of cultivating plants which have
  historically been gathered.
• Promotes sustainable methods of
  growing/harvesting medicinal plants
• Local income generation

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Kakamega Forest Background
Adapted from J. Glenday, 2004
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Kakamega Forest Background

• Heterogeneous land cover
• Indigenous forest- 60
• Plantations - 16
• Agriculture-16
• Open forest
• Grasslands - 8

Pink-KWS Blue-nature reserves (Yala and
Isecheno) - forest stations
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Kakamega Forest Background

• NGOs working in forest conservation
• International Centre of Insect Physiology and
  Ecology (ICIPE) and Kenya Forestry Research
  Institute (KEFRI)-environmental education and
  agro-forestry projects for local income
  generation and species conservation.
• Ocimum kilimandscharicum and Mondia whytei
  cultivation projects already established
• Attempts to grow Prunus africana have failed

mondia
ocimum
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My Research

• Looking at the status of Prunus africana in the
  Kakamega forest
• Identifying possible drivers of scarcity
• Use this data to make suggestions for increased
  success in agro-forestry projects

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Why Prunus africana?

• Prunus africana Hook f.
• (Pygeum africanum, African Stinkwood)
• Rosaceaea family
• Large evergreen tree
• Found in montaine forests of Cameroon, Kenya,
  Zaire and Madagascar
• Upper canopy tree

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Why Prunus africana?

• Prunus Bark contains three active constituents,
  including phytosterols, which are
  anti-inflammatory
• IT TAKES 15 YEARS FOR BARK TO BE USEABLE
• Medicinal Uses
• Traditional stomach aches, urinary/bladder
  infections, chest pain, malaria, kidney disease
• International enlarged prostate glands, benign
  prostatic hyperplasia (IT WORKS!)
• Market
• Prostate enlargement currently affects more than
  50 of men over the age of 50

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(Just in case)
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Why Prunus?

• Market
• Exported to Europe, mainly France
• Global demand rose from 2.78 million kg in 1995
  to 3.09 million kg in 1997
• Over-the-counter value of retail trade in US
  220 million a year
• Consequences
• Endangered due to over-harvesting
• Genetic diversity at risk
• CITES II (convention on trade in endangered
  species)
• Imports and exports must be declared
• Exporting countries must demonstrate sustainable
  harvesting
• Monitoring trade is difficult because it is
  traded in many forms (bark, bark extract,
  capsules, tonic)

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Why Prunus?

• Valuable medicinal product w/global market
• Endangered in Cameroon and Madagascar
• from over-harvesting-CITES II
• Attempts at agro-forestry failed consistently
• What about in Kakamega?
• No large-scale bark harvesting is occurring.
• Plays a key role in forest ecology Primary food
  for Colobus monkeys (dominant primate species in
  the forest
• Failed in agro-forestry projects

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Questions

• What is the distribution of Prunus africana in
  the Kakamega forest?

• What is the density of seedlings/saplings/trees
  in the forest?

• How does this differ with management bodies?

II. How does this differ with land strata?
II. What is driving the scarcity of Prunus
africana?

• What is the relationship between woodiness and
  insect damage?

• What is the proportion of woody vs. non-woody
  seedlings that have insect damage?

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Questions

• III. Does netting increase seedling survival?

i. What is the survival of netted vs.
non-netted seedlings?
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Just a reminder.

• Heterogeneous land cover
• Indigenous forest- 60
• Plantations - 16
• Agriculture-16
• Open forest
• Grasslands - 8
• Managing bodies KWS and FD

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Methods

• Strata
• IFindigenous forest (62 plots)
• MImixed indigenous plantation (12 plots)
• SWsoftwood plantation (10 plots)
• HWhardwood plantation (11 plots)
• Managing Bodies
• KWS vs FD (for IF)

SW young
Age Younglt 1986 Oldgt1986
FD-IF old
HW young
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Methods Plot layout
20X20m adult trees w/dbh gt5cm DBH 10x10msapli
ngs with height gt1 m height leaves avg.
leaf length insect damage woody stem 1x1m
subplots all seedlings/saplings height
leaves avg. leaf length insect damage woody
stem

• 20 m

20 m
1 m
1 m
10 m
10 m
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Hypothesis

• What is the distribution of Prunus africana in
  the Kakamega forest?
• What is the density of seedlings/saplings/trees
  in the forest?
• HypothesisThe density of Prunus africana will be
  low throughout the forest.

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Results overall low density rates extremely low
sapling density
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Results overall low tree density
0-1 trees in 20 x 20
1-4 trees in 20 x 20
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Hypothesis

• What is the distribution of Prunus africana in
  the Kakamega forest?
• What is the density of seedlings/saplings/trees
  in the forest?
• I. How does this differ with management bodies?
• Hypothesis There will be higher densities of
  Prunus africana in the KWS area.

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Results higher seedling density in FD land
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Results low density (1 tree in 20x20) FD has
higher density medium density (1-4 trees in
20x20) KWS has higher density
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Hypothesis

• What is the distribution of Prunus africana in
  the Kakamega forest?
• What is the density of seedlings/saplings/trees
  in the forest?
• How does this differ with management bodies?
• II. How does this differ with land
  strata?
• Hypothesis Indigenous forest and Hardwood
  plantations will exhibit the highest density.

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Resultsseedling density is highly variable
across strata
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Results tree density is highly variable across
strata (excluding SW)
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Discussion

• What is the distribution of Prunus africana in
  the Kakamega forest?
• What is the density of seedlings/saplings/trees
  in the forest?
• LOW DENSITY OVERALL!!!
• How does this differ with management bodies?
• seedlingshigher seedling density in FD land
• trees low density (1 trees in 20x20) FD has
  higher density, medium density (1-4 trees in
  20x20) KWS has higher density
• SMALL SAMPLE SIZE

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Discussion

• II. How does this differ with land
  strata?
• seedlingsseedling
  density is highly variable
  across strata (SW density interesting)
• trees tree density is highly
  variable across strata (excluding SW)
  
• Seedling survival is an issue
• When the logging ban is lifted it could result
  in habitat loss for Prunus

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Hypothesis

• II. What is driving the scarcity of Prunus
  africana?
• ITS NOT HUMAN HARVESTING!
• What is the relationship between woodiness and
  insect damage?
• Hypothesis Insect damage increases with the
  presence of woodiness.
• What is the proportion of woody vs. non-woody
  seedlings that have insect damage?

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Discussion

• II. What is driving the scarcity of Prunus
  africana?
• i. What is the relationship between woodiness
  and insect damage?
• What is the proportion of woody vs. non-woody
  seedlings that have insect damage?
• Results 35 of non-woody seedlings have insect
  damage, while 87 of woody seedlings have insect
  damage.
• Woody seedlings are more susceptible to insect
  damage/death. Important to take this into account
  when planning agro-forestry projects.
• How can we decrease the amount of insect damage
  that occurs?

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When in doubt, net.
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Herbivory Study

• Does netting increase seedling survival?
• i. What is the survival of netted vs.
  non-netted seedlings?

• MethodsLooking at whether wire mesh nets affect
  survival of seedlings
• Nets 1.5m x 1m x 1m
• 3 plots w/33 seedlings each no nets
• 3 plots w/33 seedlings each netted
• 3 plots w/33 seedlings each netted for 8 months,
  then nets removed

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Study Site
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Netted plot
Non-netted plot
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Netted seedlings
Non-netted seedlings
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Conclusions

• Prunus africana is scarce in Kakamega because of
  ecological as opposed to anthropogenic stresses.
• Though indirect effects of logging, fuelwood
  extraction etc surely have an impact as well.
• Yet if the logging ban is lifted it could result
  in critical habitat loss for Prunus.
• There is a link between insect damage and
  woodiness.
• Netting decreases insect damage.

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Discussion

• Implications for integrating Prunus africana into
  agro-forestry projects.
• Netting works!
• Dissemination of information-communication
  between farmers
• 15 years to maturation
• Prunus as part of a larger agro-forestry scheme
  with short-term and long-term economic returns
• Creating a market within CITES II restrictions
• Local vs.global
• Resources available to small farms

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Future research

• Transplanting netted/non-netted plants into
  forest gaps and monitoring survival
• (Peter Fashing, Pittsburg Zoo)
• What insects are eating the prunus-native vs.
  exotic?
• What is the threshold that woody seedlings need
  to pass (under nets) before they can survive.

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THANK YOU. Steve Hamburg Luce Fellowship and RAB
grant Julia and Lauren-MIA banda-mates Patrick,
Bonface and Winstone Ian Gordon and Lucie Rogo at
ICIPE Everyone at KEEP Jared, Alan, Matt and Noam
Kapikids, Dad Beast george Carmichaels
associate and associates The procrastination
gene