A. Species
Scientific name: Prunus africana
Common name(s): African cherry, pygeum
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Vulnerable
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Cameroon
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State
Name/Details of location: Tchabal gang Daba and Tchabal Mbabo areas
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2011
End Year: 2012
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: harvesting of tree bark
Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Medicine and hygiene
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local private sector
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: strict annual bark harvesting quotas as well as harvesting practices put in place which ensure sustainability if adhered to
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: implicit as used commercially and ecological sustainability established through harvest quotas etc
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Authors voice concerns about the current situation and suggest the following solutions: - address the issue of equity in the trade exchanges on Prunus africana. This should ensure that local communities are well motivated to conserve Prunus africana in their forests; - accelerate the implementation of the procedures for the attribution of the Prunus Allocation Units (PAU); - revise the modalities of access to the resource in terms of the selling price in accordance with the current forest law; - propose a better system of taxation of Prunus products. The current 10 FCFA/kilogram perceived by the Cameroon Government as the regeneration tax cannot ensure the activities required for the sustainable management of the resource; - develop and implement a fair tracking system to trace Prunus products from the forest till the exit points; - encourage local people to develop Prunus plantations; - assist local people in developing fair farming system that do not harm Prunus habitat.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
To ensure the conservation of Prunus africana in Tchabal gang Daba and Tchabal Mbabo areas, following actions should be taken: - Re-enforce capacities of all decentralised forest units found in the two areas in terms of human resources, logistics, and financial incentives in order to allow them to better control and monitor the exploitation, processing, and transport of Prunus products; - filter the number of companies who are working in the field of Prunus africana as to keep those who are interested in sustainable management of the resource; - address the issue of equity in the trade exchanges on Prunus africana. This should ensure that local communities are well motivated to conserve Prunus africana in their forests; - accelerate the implementation of the procedures for the attribution of the Prunus Allocation Units (PAU); - revise the modalities of access to the resource in terms of the selling price in accordance with the current forest law; - propose a better system of taxation of Prunus products. The current 10 FCFA/kilogram perceived by the Cameroon Government as the regeneration tax cannot ensure the activities required for the sustainable management of the resource; - develop and implement a fair tracking system to trace Prunus products from the forest till the exit points; - encourage local people to develop Prunus plantations; - assist local people in developing fair farming system that do not harm Prunus habitat.
Record source
Information about the record source: formal_data_stats
Date of publication/issue/production: 2011-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
MBARGA N., AKAGOU ZEDONG H.C., FONKOUA C., NKOUNA ABIA C.: PRELIMINARY REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE HARVESTING OF PRUNUS AFRICANA
(ROSACEAE) IN THE MOUNTS TCHABAL GANG DABA AND TCHABAL MBABO
CAMEROON (August 2011)
Date of record entry: 2023-09-20