The uses, local perceptions and ecological status of 16 woody species of Gadumire Sub-county, Uganda
Loading...
Date
2006
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
In Plant Conservation and Biodiversity
Abstract
Populations of naturally growing woody species valued for their contribution
to human livelihoods are threatened with extinction. Most at risk are those
existing in human inhabited areas outside protected areas that are subjected to high
population pressure and to a variety of land use demands. The sustainable utilization
of these plants requires as a first step knowledge, including, their ecology and an
understanding of the peoples attitudes to conservation. This study was conducted
to generate data that would contribute to the management for conservation and
sustainable use of woody resources. The study objectives were to document local
knowledge covering the uses, status, threats, habitats and management solutions of
woody species; determine the abundances, distribution and population structure of
16 woody species, and assess the conservation status of the selected woody species.
The study was carried out in Gadumire Sub-county, Uganda using both an ethnobotanical
approach and quantitative ecological methods. The species are multipurpose
and are exploited to satisfy different subsistence needs. They had population
densities ranging between 3.6 and 2630 individuals ha–1, and distributions ranging
between 0.3 and 39.5%. The species Acacia hockii, Albizia zygia, Acacia seyal,
Markhamia lutea and Albizia coriaria had a good conservation status. The remainder
of the species appear threatened either because they had low densities, frequencies
or less steep size class distribution (SCD) slopes. Securidaca longipedunculata Fres.
was not encountered at all in the study plots. Community perceptions collaborated
the measured population dynamics. The major threats believed to be impacting the
species by the community are the growing human population, expanding crop
agriculture, poor harvesting methods and over-exploitation of the species.
Description
Keywords
Ethnobotany, Harvesting patterns, Population structure, Savanna woodland
Citation
Tabuti, J. R. (2006). The uses, local perceptions and ecological status of 16 woody species of Gadumire Sub-county, Uganda. In Plant Conservation and Biodiversity (pp. 327-341). Springer, Dordrecht. DOI 10.1007/s10531-006-9097-7