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Synergy between traditional knowledge of use and tree population structure for sustainability of Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott. & Endl in Benin (West Africa)

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Abstract

Cola nitida is a West African tree, commonly used for pharmaceutical purposes. In Benin, the species is used for many purposes ranging from traditional rituals to domestic consumption. Nowadays, the species, as well as its offspring, are hardly encountered. So far, research on the species focused on a single domain such as ethnobotany and phytochemistry. The current paper used a holistic approach to explain the species scarcity in the natural habitats using (1) the rural knowledge pattern on C. nitida and (2) the tree population structure. Semi-structured interviews (n = 170 respondents) were conducted and combined with ecological inventory (n = 38 plots) in the phyto-geographical districts of Coast and Pobè in southern Benin. The indices of diversity, equitability, and consensus quantified the range, the evenness, and the relative reliability of rural communities’ knowledge. Moreover, the plant part index gave the most used part of the tree. The knowledge on the species was unevenly distributed according to the gender, while the cofactor age did not have a statistically significant effect (P = 0.902) on the pattern. In addition, seeds represented the most used plant part (PPI = 0.59). C. nitida tree demographic structure showed a low density of seedling and sapling (1.05 ± 0.47 trees ha-1). Diameter size fitted with a two-parameter Weibull distribution indicated a threat of species extinction. The multiple uses of C. nitida seeds do not allow natural regeneration of the species. The domestication of C. nitida tree and the establishment of Cola garden/orchard in the surveyed districts are suggested for sustainable use of the species.

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Acknowledgements

Rufford Small Grant foundation through the research Grant 16785-1 provided to M. K. Savi supported for this study. Authors would like to thank the rural communities and their chiefs for their collaboration and help during this study. We thank colleagues and reviewers for their comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biomathématiques et d’Estimations Forestières, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 04 BP 1525, Cotonou, Benin

    Merveille Koissi Savi, Valère Kolawolé Salako, Rodrigue Idohou, Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo & Romain Glèlè Kakaï

  2. Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 03 BP 1974, Cotonou, Benin

    Merveille Koissi Savi, Raoul Noumonvi & Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo

  3. School of Sciences and Techniques for Preservation and Processing of Agricultural Products, University of Agriculture of Kétou, BP 114, Sakété, Benin

    Flora Josiane Chadaré

  4. Nature Plus asbl, Foresterie tropicale, TERRA, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, ULg, Gembloux, Belgium

    Kasso Daïnou

  5. Ecole de foresterie et d’ingénierie du bois, Université d’Agriculture de Kétou, Kétou, Benin

    Kasso Daïnou

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  1. Merveille Koissi Savi
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  2. Raoul Noumonvi
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Correspondence to Merveille Koissi Savi.

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Savi, M.K., Noumonvi, R., Chadaré, F.J. et al. Synergy between traditional knowledge of use and tree population structure for sustainability of Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott. & Endl in Benin (West Africa). Environ Dev Sustain 21, 1357–1368 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0091-5

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