2020/02/01 by Alex Hudson, William Milliken, Jonathan Timberlake +6 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management #African Botany and Ecology Studies #Agricultural Innovations and Practices
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s10745-020-00132-w
openalex publication_date 2020/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Abstract In rural African communities, wild plant species are a valuable resource that are often threatened by agricultural conversion and overexploitation. To understand the harvest and sale of wild plant species that provide fruits and raw materials for artisanal products, this study used ethnobotanical and socio-economic methods to engage communities in the Chimanimani Trans-Frontier Conservation Area, Mozambique. Use was dependent on local availability and market accessibility. Incomes are made from Uapaca kirkiana fruits in some communities and Strychnos madagascariensis in others; some earn money from Cyperus spp. mats whilst others use Phragmites mauritianus . Less marketed items included baskets made from numerous species (including Oxytenanthera abyssinica ) and wooden implements (e.g. made from Pterocarpus angolensis ) which are used to process, store and transport maize. Conservation and development could potentially benefit from value-addition activities, new management systems (like agroforestry), or population protection and restoration. This should include analysis of population extents and production levels.