Baillonella toxisperma

The Moabi or Baillonella toxisperma is a Espèce of pertaining Arbre of the family of the Sapotaceae . It is the single species of the kind Baillonella

Description

The moabi is a species “multi-use” used in a traditional way by certain African populations but which is currently threatened owing to the fact that today, 3 moabis out of 4 half-compartments with the Cameroun arrive in France, to finish in windows, doors, staircases or parquet floors.

Pushing up to 60 m height and 5 m in diameter, the moabi is one of largest African trees the. It pushes only in the wet tropical forests of Africa, between the Nigeria and the Democratic republic of Congo. The broad summit in parasol of this giant of the dense forest majestueusement overhangs the Canopée, fascinating support on a right and cylindrical barrel, slightly thickened at the base. Its wood is exploited with the Cameroun and the Gabon where the production is in rapid growth (40 000 m3 in 1998 only for Gabon) and, to a lesser extent, in Guinea Equatoriale and République of Congo.

The fleshy fruits and their large seeds charged with Lipide S wake up the appetite of many mammals: Chimpanzee S, Potamochère S… But makes of them the effective disseminators of this species are very few: mainly the elephant, the Rat of Emin and the man.

Even if the adult trees are scattered (approximately 1 by 10 ha), one is astonished by the extreme scarcity of the seedlings and the young trees, at the same time under the crown of seed-bearer and in forest (Letouzey 1985). It seems that near the villages, regeneration is more dynamic.

One can find moabis in protected areas of Cameroun (Forest of Nki, Forêt of Boumba Bek and the reserve of Fauna of Dja). Cameroun planted 389 hectares of B. toxisperma. One can also find the species with the Arboretum Sibang of Libreville in Gabon.

Propagation

The moabi is regenerated badly because it is mature only around 50 years and produces fruits only once every three years only. The forestry development practiced without understanding is thus likely to lead quickly to its disappearance. It already disappeared besides from certain areas.

Economic and cultural importance of the moabi

Cultural importance

The moabi is a particularly important tree for the local populations and the problems with the companies of forestry development are frequent concerning this gasoline, especially in Cameroun.

For the villagers Bantous and the Pygmy S Baka, the moabi revêt an importance economic, cultural and medicinal particular.

the hunters bakas use large the moabis like benchmarks to be directed in forest but also to become… invisible! At the time of a traditional ceremony called “yeyi”, the wizards reduce out of powder fragments of bark of moabi and concoctent a potion of camouflage whose hunters recover the body to become invisible.

Of the ethnobotanic investigations was led in 1994 and 1996 by the researcher Jean Lagarde Betti within the framework of the Ecofac program carried out in the reserve of Dja to Cameroun. Nearly 350 plant species allow the treatment of more than 77 diseases or symptoms, of which the moabi, quoted for 50 different uses.

Economic importance

the enormous fruit of the moabi (approximately 20 cm diameter) is a treat for the men as for the animals, the almond contained in seed is a pleasure with double edge. Consumed believed, it is extremely toxic (from where its name of species toxisperma = “to toxic fruit”) but once crushed, pulp and pressed, the women extract from it a delicious edible oil rich in Palmitic acid. From its bark are also extracted from the remedies medicinal.

With seeds of the fruits, the villagers produce an oil close to the oil of Karité which can be or consumed or sold. On the Cameronian markets, the demand for oil of Shea tree is higher than the offer and the sale of the oil of the moabi is an important source of incomes. The estimates carried out indicate that the incomes of oil over one period from 10 to 15 years would be higher than the incomes of wood for a tree 100 cm in diameter, cuts minimum legal to cut down a moabi. Its not-woody value is not only recognized by the local markets but also by the industry Cosmétique which showed its interest for this oil.

the moabi has also a value on the international markets of wood and the request of southernmost Europe is particularly high. However, in relative terms the moabi does not seem to represent an important component of the incomes of the companies and exports of the country. In Cameroun, the moabi accounts for 10% of the total production of the forest companies and between 3,4 and 5% of the full value of exports of barks of the whole of the gasolines. The principal wood exporter of moabi is the Gabon, whose exports increased in a considerable way recently passing of 26.052 m ³ in 1996 to 39.724 m ³ in 1998. Cameroun produced 33.000 m ³ in 1997 and 35.000 m ³ in 1998. In Guinea Equatoriale the production is also raises some and the estimates indicate that it doubled, passing 1.000 m ³ to the beginning of the year 1990 to 2.000 m ³ in 1999. The die moabi thus makes live hundreds of employees and their families, in particular in Gabon and Cameroun. The companies of the die wood are often in Africa the main actors of local development, to which they contribute via the paid wages, the construction or the maintenance of infrastructures.

In accordance with the law, the contract of the forest companies in Cameroun includes/understands a certain number of conditions posed by the villagers before the company does not begin its activities. An often concluded agreement stipulates that the moabi located in a radius of 5 kilometers of the village cannot be shot down without the agreement of the chief. If this last gives its agreement, the population must be compensated. In practice, the majority of the stems of moabi located close to the villages were cut down and the local population was not always compensated. The local populations in Cameroun often asked that their rights be recognized but in vain.

Abuse exploitation

The traditional practices of exploitation of the moabi are not always durable and this gasoline could disappear in part of its zone of distribution from here 10 to 20 years, this disappearance partial being partly due to the natural evolution of the settlements and the recent modification of the ecosystems. In the forests of the Dja almost all the trees whose wood has a commercial value are cut down without the companies not taking any measurement to ensure the regeneration of the species. Overexploitation is due to the fact that the companies do not respect the law and with the fact that the law itself does not protect sufficiently the moabi. Regularly, the companies do not satisfy the legal requirement according to which they are held not to cut down the trees of less than 100 cm in diameter. In July 1999, for example, of the barks of 65 cm and 85 cm were found in the French port of Nantes-St Nazaire. However, even if only the trees of more than 100 cm in diameter were cut down, the regeneration of the moabi anyway would be seriously threatened. The experts support that it is necessary to increase the minimum diameter to which the trees are cut down and to implement measurements to preserve “trees mothers” which can ensure the regeneration of the species. The personnel of the the World Bank is further, while recommending the total ban of the exploitation of the moabi and advancing that “plans of management must be conceived in collaboration with the local populations to prohibit the exploitation of trees similar to the moabi”.

Solution to save the moabi

An emergency solution to save the moabi could be to obtain its protection by Convention on the international business of the species of fauna and flora savages threatened of extinction (QUOTE). According to the scientific data, the classification in Appendix I (total ban of trade) or in Appendix II (very strict quota of exploitation) could make it possible to ensure the survival of the moabi.

External bonds

Baillonella

Baillonella toxisperma

'' Baillonella toxisperma '' on “Action of the friends of the Earth”
'' Baillonella toxisperma '' on the Globaltrees site of the species threatened of disappearance

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