Project description
In the Horn of Africa, resin and gum producing trees of the genera Acacia, Boswellia and Commiphora abound and may both provide products (e.g. gum, resin, fodder, fuel wood, bee honey) and thus income for local population, as maintain ecosystem functions (e.g. soil conservation, biodiversity). Proper regeneration of these species is crucial for sustaining woodland vegetation and future productivity.
In many areas, however, the gum and resin producing species hardly regenerate successfully. Effects of wood harvest, lopping, fodder collection, burning and grazing are detrimental to effective regeneration. In addition, natural conditions may be detrimental to regeneration effectiveness, such as low or high temperatures, and insufficient water availability through the year. This project will determine the regeneration status of the major used species and quantify the relative importance of the above mentioned factors on population dynamics. We will use extensive field observations in a series of populations specifically selected to identify those human and natural factors that govern population regeneration, and may thus cause so called "regeneration bottleneck factors".
In field trials, we will quantify restoration possibilities using seeding, and planting of seedlings and cuttings. Demographic models (matrix models) will be used to identify the phases and processes in the life cycle that mainly drive population growth. We will use insights in population dynamics to predict the success of restoration activities, and how specific transitions will affect population stability. The effects of changes in transitions and transition possibilities on the population dynamics will predict the effects of restoration activities and tree harvest, and of environmental changes like those related to climatic change.
This information is needed for proper predictions regarding population dynamics under different scenarios of human impact, and the results of that for resin production and ecosystem status. This is crucial for development of long-term and sustainable agroforestry parklands where woodlands can be maintained under various levels of human use.
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Project information
| Project period: |
2006 - 2010 |
| Researcher: |
Abeje Eshete Wassie MSc |
| Supervisors: |
Prof. Dr. F. (Frans) Bongers (promotor), Dr. Ir. F.J. (Frank) Sterck; Dr. A. (Tesfaye) Bekele, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research Organization, Ethiopia;
Dr. (Kindeya) Gebrehiwot, Mekelle University, Ethiopia |
| Funded by: |
Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research in the Tropics (NWO-WOTRO) |
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Type: |
Sandwich PhD project within the FRAME project |
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Keywords: |
Gum and resin, regeneration, population dynamics, population matrix model, driving forces |
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Publications
- Eshete Wassie, A. (2011). The frankincense tree of Ethiopia: ecology, productivity and population dynamics. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, NL, With references, with summaries in English and Dutch
ISNB: 978-90-8585-953-6; 149 pp
- Eshete, A.; Teketay, D.; Hulten, H. (2005) The socio-economic importance and status of populations of Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst. in northern Ethiopia: the case of North Gonder Zone. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 15: 55–74.
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