BackgroundAngola suffered a long-lasting military conflict. Therefore, traditional knowledge of plant usage is still an important part of cultural heritage, especially concerning the still very poor health care system in the country. Our study documents for the first time traditional knowledge of plant use of local Bakongo communities in the northern province of Uíge on a large scale with a focus on medicinal plants and puts data in context to different parameters of age, gender and distance to the provincial capital.MethodsField work was carried out during nine field trips in 13 municipalities between October 2013 and October 2016. In 62 groups, 162 informants were interviewed. Herbarium specimens were taken for later identification. Database was analysed using Relative Frequency of Citations, Cultural Importance Index, and Informant Consensus Factor. Furthermore, significances of influence of age, gender and distance were calculated.ResultsOur study presents 2390 use-reports, listing 358 species in 96 plant families, while just three out of 358 mentioned species are endemic to Angola about one-fifth are neophytes. The larger the distance, the higher the number of use citations of medical plants. Although women represent just a fifth of all citations (22%), their contribution to medicinal plants was proportionally even higher (83%) than those of men (74%). Fifty percent of all plants mentioned in the study were just listed by men, 12% just by women. We made some new discoveries, for example. Gardenia ternifolia seems to be promising for treatment of measles, and Annona stenophylla subsp. cuneata has never been ethnobotanically nor phytochemically investigated.ConclusionsWhile the study area is large, no significant influence of the distance in regard to species composition in traditional healer’s concepts of the respective village was pointed out. Although several plants were just mentioned by women or men, respectively, no significant restriction to gender-specific illnesses in medical plant use could be found. Merely concerning the age of informants, a slight shift could be detected.Graphical abstractVisual representation of the ethnobotanical study in Uíge, northern Angola.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13002-018-0238-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
The wide use of natural fibers has a long-standing history in Africa. In northern Angola, three native fiber plant species, namely Urena lobata, Triumfetta cordifolia, and Dombeya burgessiae, were investigated with regard to their potential usage in modern applications, such as green composites. Bast fibers of the three species were analyzed morphologically, chemically, and mechanically to determine properties such as fiber density, cellulose content, Young's modulus, tensile strength, and breaking strain. In comparison to other natural fibers, all three species were characterized by high Young's moduli up to 60 GPa and tensile strengths up to 950 MPa, yet retting is crucial to unfold the maximum strength of the fibers. Extending the retting time revealed higher values but probably negatively influences economic efficiency. The results demonstrated that the analyzed plants deliver strong and resistant fibers; based on their biomechanical performance, they are alternatives to commercially used natural fibers, such as jute (Corchorus spp.). However, as with other natural fibers, there was high variation in the mechanical properties in the studied species.
We systematically assess the herpetofaunal diversity of the Serra do Pingano Forest Ecosystem (SPFE) and additional localities throughout the northern Angolan province of Uíge during four independent Rapid Assessment (RA) field campaigns held between 2013 and 2019. These assessments represent the first systematic surveys of amphibians and reptiles from the province, and thus we provide the first province-wide species list. We collected data on the status and current threats to amphibians and reptiles in the proposed Serra do Pingano Rainforest National Park and were able to document 33 species of reptiles from Uíge province. Of the 33 species recorded from the province, 10 species are exclusively found in the SPFE. Amphibian surveys yielded 47 amphibian species from the province. These include 14 new country records and additional records that may represent undescribed species. This raises the amphibian count for Angola to at least 133 species, which includes 18 species exclusively found within the SPFE. Species-richness estimators indicate that more species should be detected if survey efforts are intensified. The species composition in the SPFE is unique and consists of a high proportion of forest specialists with restricted ranges and species found nowhere else in the country. This emphasizes today’s paramount importance of the SPFE, which is threatened by increasing agricultural encroachment and uncontrolled timber extraction and charcoal production. These principal factors need to be controlled and/or abandoned in already impacted areas. Conservation strategies should particularly consider the strict protection of remaining intact forests and both lentic and lotic aquatic systems. They are not only crucial for safeguarding a significant number of species that depend on these habitats for reproduction; they also provide key ecosystem services to the local population. Angola, and Uíge province in particular, is at a crossroads concerning decisions and trade-offs among utilization, conservation, and preservation of its forests and, thus, substantial parts of the country’s biodiversity. The establishment of a National Protected Area in the Serra do Pingano Ecosystem is therefore a necessary and urgently needed first step towards protecting Angola’s national biodiversity heritage.
Background and aims – Located in the transition zone of Guineo-Congolian and Zambezian phytochoria, the Angolan provinces of Uíge and Cuanza Norte are of particular interest for floristic studies and high biodiversity is expected. Nevertheless, explorations of the vegetation are relatively rare. Our study aims to supplement a recent checklist of vascular plants of Angola. Methods – Data were collected during 17 field trips between 2013 and 2018, during which herbarium specimens were prepared for later identification of plant species. The results were compared with the current checklist as well as with other floristic works, herbarium collections and online databases relevant for the region.Key results – We document 20 new records of indigenous vascular plant species for the flora of Angola (19 species and one subspecies), including four new generic records. Furthermore, nine alien species are added to the checklist of the flora of Angola.Conclusion – Our results confirm that the flora of northern Angola is composed by elements of various adjacent areas. However, not all species present are known yet. Further botanical investigation is needed to complete our floristic knowledge of the region.
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