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In a small village nestled in Central Kenya, Dr Jane Mwangi, a Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) scholar, is worried about the African sandalwood, known by the scientific name Osyris lanceolata. For her, African Sandalwood is a fragrant wood used in incense and essential oils that has the potential to uplift many people out of poverty. However, there is troubling reality: the tree is facing a grave threat. Its demand has surged in local and international markets; hence, overharvesting has become rampant.

Dr Mwangi explained that she “is set to uncover the ecological and human-induced challenges facing the African sandalwood and factors influencing its distribution across Eastern and Southern Africa.”

The African sandalwood widely distributed in the eastern African nations of Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as the westward and eastward adjacent countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia, and extended to the southern African states of Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini.

“Despite increasing threats to the survival of the plant in eastern Africa, there is inadequate information about the ecology and distribution, let alone the various supporting and limiting factors that influence the plant’s occurrences in the wild,” Dr Mwangi points out that adding that data and studies from other parts of the world are scarce, despite the plant’s ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural importance in many areas.

Development of Habitat Suitability Maps

To address these challenges, Dr Mwangi created Habitat Suitability Maps that identify areas where African Sandalwood can thrive despite climate change. These maps became vital tools for conservationists and policymakers alike. The maps also highlighted areas where communities could focus their efforts on sustainable management and conservation practices.

“The Habitat Suitability Maps, which were the first of its kind for African Sandalwood can be enhanced by including habitat characteristics such as biotic factors like hosts of Osyris lanceolata,” Dr Mwangi observed.

By incorporating habitat characteristics and biotic factors into these maps, Dr. Mwangi aims to enhance their effectiveness.

“Understanding the suit of abiotic and biotic factors and anthropogenic threats influencing the African sandalwood in eastern Africa and other parts of the world is critical for the conservation and sustainable management of this threatened species,” Dr Mwangi remarked.

Community utilization of the maps

Understanding the importance of community involvement, Dr Mwangi organised workshops to educate villagers about sustainable practices. She emphasised how they could use the Habitat Suitability Maps to engage in Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). By nurturing existing sandalwood plants through techniques like coppicing—where rootstocks are tended—villagers can help regenerate their forests.

“If the areas predicted to be suitable in the Habitat Suitability Maps are in private and communal lands that are not under the control of the government due to land tenure, then the Community Based Organizations and Natural Resources managers should sensitise and encourage the local community to participate actively in conservation, especially in tending the remnants of African sandalwood,” she suggested.

Dr Mwangi  has encouraged her community to plant young African sandalwood saplings in their fields, integrating them into agroforestry systems that provide economic benefits while enhancing environmental resilience. She said the communities learnt about the ecological significance of their native trees and felt empowered to take action. She explained that cultivating the African sandalwood alongside other crops could create climate-resilient landscapes, generating income from its valuable wood and oils while contributing to conservation goals.

“It will act like a cash crop and in agroforestry systems with medicinal, cosmetic, essential oils, erosion control and soil conservation, as an agent to help extract and remove elements of pollutants in soil (known as soil phytoremediation), ethnoveterinary medicine, resilient food source for local consumption benefits as well as help in creating climate-resilient landscapes,” she said.

Her research not only sheds light on the economic potential of African sandalwood but also advocates for policy reforms that allow local communities to participate actively in conservation efforts, especially through the use of the Habitat Suitability Maps. She emphasises the need for updated laws to ensure fair sharing of benefits from the African sandalwood cultivation among those who tend the land.

Looking ahead, Dr. Mwangi acknowledges that much remains to be explored regarding African sandalwood’s ecological needs and threats. However, she is optimistic that the use of Habitat Suitability Maps especially, would help save the African sandalwood from over and unsustainable harvesting.

In conclusion, the Habitat Suitability Maps developed by Dr Mwangi represent a significant advancement in understanding and conserving African sandalwood while empowering local communities to play a pivotal role in its sustainable management. This research not only contributes to immediate conservation efforts but also lays the groundwork for future studies aimed at ensuring the resilience of this vital species in Africa’s ecosystems.

Rsif is the flagship programme of the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (PASET), managed by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) as the Regional Coordination Unit.