Abstract
Schinziophyton rautanenii is a keystone tree species whose fruits are eaten by wildlife and livestock, nuts are used to extract oil for human use and its wood is used for making curios that are sold to tourists. The species occurs in southern African countries of Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo but little is known about its population and conservation status. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess factors determining the distribution and abundance of the species in Zambia, (ii) evaluate its regeneration potential and population status and (iii) assess whether the main determinants of forest and species stand structures also favour S. rautanenii. The study is based on three forest surveys conducted in 2004, 2005–2008 and 2015. In Zambia S. rautanenii abundance and population structure are controlled by soil, climate and human factors. The species is most abundant in southwest Zambia where population recruitment is good but is rare and recruitment is poor elsewhere in the country. Fire appears to be a major cause of tree damage and possibly death. The elephant is a major disperser of S. rautanenii nuts and the low recruitment levels in the country may partly be attributed to the decline in the elephant population from about 250,000 in 1960 to 28,000 in 2008. Different conservation strategies will be required for areas where the species is rare and for those where the species is abundant. Whatever the strategies, it will be important to address issues of fire management, fruit harvesting and the role of wildlife in the conservation of S. rautanenii in Zambia.
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Acknowledgments
The 2004 survey was funded by the Zambia Agribusiness Technical Assistance Centre (ZATAC) and Messrs Webby Mwape, Christopher Zulu and Jones Mulomba participated in the survey. Messrs Joe Lwambo and Henry M Luwaya and Ms Mutinta Matambo participated in the 2015 survey that was funded by SWECO Energuide AB of Sweden. Access to the ILUA field inventory data was provided by the Forestry Department and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. In this respect, the assistance of Mrs Anne Chileshe Masinja, the then Director of Forestry Department, Mr Bwalya Chendauka, Mr Abel Siampale and Mr Jackson Mukosha at Forestry Department in Lusaka and Ms Celestina Lwatula at FAO, Lusaka Office, is deeply acknowledged.
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Communicated by Peter Ashton.
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Chidumayo, E.N. Distribution and abundance of a keystone tree, Schinziophyton rautanenii, and factors affecting its structure in Zambia, southern Africa. Biodivers Conserv 25, 711–724 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1086-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1086-x