Challenges of Conservation and Sustainable Management of African Rosewood (Pterocarpuserinaceus) in West Africa

Abstract

Pterocarpus erinaceus is an endemic and threatened plant species in arid and semiarid zones of West Africa and is highly exploited for timber, animal feeding, and various medicinal uses. The species is currently native to the Guinean forest-savannah mosaic ecoregion and reported from Senegal to Cameroon. The values of the main characteristics of the P. erinaceus forest stands (density, average diameter, average height and average stem height) vary significantly (P < 10−3) from the Guinean zone to the Sahelian zone. It has high technological performance and can be classified as heavy and very hard wood with a density of the order of 0.80 ± 0.07 g/cm3 and an average hardness of 12 ± 3.7 g/cm3. The species is the subject of large-scale international traffic between West Africa and Asia, which is by far the greatest threat to the species. The various uses induce repeated mutilation and increase pressures on the species resulting in a significant reduction in its natural populations. In response to this situation, measures are proposed, including large-scale plant production strategies, the definition of minimum felling diameters, policy measures, etc., to meet the restoration needs of natural stands of P. erinaceus and the fight against climate change.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for the threatened African endemic tree species Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir.

“…(Lamarck & Poiret, 1823) is commonly known as African rosewood. This important tree belonging to the Fabaceae family is native from the Guinean forest-savannah mosaic ecoregion and has been reported from Senegal to Cameroon (Adjonou et al, 2019;Arbonnier, 2004;Giffard, 1974). Stands of this Leguminous species are especially targeted for timber and wood fuelwood production, but this species has also several medicinal uses (Fontodji et al, 2011;Kokou et al, 2009;Segla et al, 2015).…”

Proximate Composition of Leaves of the African Rosewood (<i>Pterocarpus erinaceus</i>)

“…The plant is widely distributed across West and Central Africa and is specifically native to the following countries; Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Benin, Senegal, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic [5] [7]. Rosewood is widely acclaimed to produce very high-quality timber for both local and foreign consumption.…”

Biological Resistance of Coppiced and Non-Coppiced Rosewood (Pterocarpus Erinaceus Poir.) in the Field and Their Technological Performance

“…Wood, one of the principal resource bases common to the construction sector, is gaining significant attention owing to its environmentally-benign characteristics, capacity to store carbon in service and aesthetically appealing appearance (Tripathi et al, 2022). Unfortunately, during the past decades, deforestation in the tropical zones has become another most worrying environmental menace after climate change (Damette and Delacote, 2012), with the exploitation of valuable timbers approaching unsustainable levels (Kossi et al, 2019). Certainly, demand for timber and non-timber forest products has been escalating worldwide, and tropical forests are capable of providing multipurpose benefits to meet the needs of the growing populations.…”