Tree Conservation Information Service
| Baillonella
toxisperma
Sapotaceae Moabi Distribution Moabi occurs mainly in Cameroon, Gabon and Nigeria, and is also found in Angola, Congo and Equatorial Guinea. Habitat The monotypic genus Baillonella is endemic to the Guineo-Congolian region (White, 1983). B. toxisperma is limited to dense primary evergreen rain forests. It requires shade for regeneration to occur (Wilks in litt, 1990). Population Status and Trends If this species continues to be over-exploited it will most likely vanish from large areas of its distribution (Schneemann, 1995). In areas of Cameroon that have been logged for several decades (i.e. Central, South, South-West and the Littoral provinces) there is a decrease and in some cases disappearance of Moabi (Schneemann, 1995). Moabi still remains in East Cameroon where there has been no logging. Role of Species in its Ecosystem Elephants play a part in regeneration and dispersal of Moabi as they eat the fruits and deposit the seeds elsewhere (Schneemann, 1995). Wild pigs and porcupines eat the seeds. Threats Moabi is heavily exploited in West Africa. This species is further threatened by its restricted regeneration (Wilks in litt., 1990). It takes between 50 and 70 years before B.toxisperma starts to flower and regular fruit production doesn't occur until the tree is 90-100 years old (Schneemann, 1995). Utilisation The timber is used for furniture, cabinet work, decorative flooring, turnery and carving, decorative veneers, joinery, and stove fittings. The edible oil (huile de karité) that is extracted from the seeds is of great importance to the local people. The oil can fetch high prices at the local markets in Cameroon; in the larger cities the oil can be worth as much as US$12/litre (Schneemann, 1995). The pulp of the fruit is eaten. The bark is used for medicinal purposes and has ethnobotanical uses (e.g. the Baka pygmies use the bark to become invisible for elephant hunting) (Schneemann, 1995). Trade Strong demand for Moabi timber comes from Southern Europe (Schneemann, 1995) Moabi is an important commercial timber in Cameroon and is a major species in the export trade. Production of B. toxisperma in Cameroon has almost doubled since 1989/1990 (Schneemann, 1995). It is also commercially important to Congo (exports in 1988 of 4,517m3) and Gabon where it is the second most important wood in terms of export earnings (Wilks in litt, 1990). Gabon exported 55,884m3 in 1987 (IUCN, 1990) and 59,891m3 in 1989. According to ITTO (1995a) 25,000 m3 of B. toxisperma logs were exported from Cameroon in 1994 at an average price of US$385/m3, and 10,000 m3 of sawn timber were also exported at an average price of US$700.00/m3. While Gabon exported Moabi logs at an average price of US$70.40/m3 and exported 82m3 of sawnwood at US$63.13/m3 (ITTO, 1995a). In 1994, Gabon exported a total of 32,572.065 m3 of Moabi and 44,390.331 m3 in 1995 (DIAF, 1996). There is some concern about illegal trade from some of the Moabi producing countries (Draft CITES Proposal, 1991). Conservation Status IUCN Category and Criteria: VU (A1d) (African Regional Workshop, 1996) Conservation Measures The minimum exploitable diameter of Moabi in Cameroon is 1m and in both Gabon and Congo the minimum exploitable diameter is decreed to be 0.8m. B.toxisperma is found in several protected areas in Cameroon (i.e. Forêt de Nki, Forêt de Boumba Bek and Reserve de Faune du Dja). This species is also represented in the Sibang Arboretum, Libreville, Gabon. (Draft CITES Proposal, 1991). Cameroon has planted 389 ha of this species (African Regional Workshop, 1996). References African Regional Workshop, 1996. Conservation and Sustainable Management of Trees project workshop held in Harare, Zimbabawe, July, 1996. DIAF, 1996. Timber trade statistics for Gabon sent from the Direction des Inventaires et Aménagements des Forêts (DIAF) of the Ministere des Eaux et Forêts for 1994 and 1995 sent by Tom Hammond. Draft CITES Proposal, 1991. ITTO, 1995(a). Elements for the annual review and assessment of the world tropical timber situation. Draft Document. IUCN, 1990. La Conservation des Ecosystèmes Forestiers du Gabon. IUCN, Tropical Forest Programme Series. pp. 200. Schneemann, J., 1995. Exploitation of Moabi in the Humid Dense Forests of Cameroon. Harmonization and improvement of two conflicting ways of exploitation of the same forest resource. BOS NiEuWSLETTER 31 vol. 14 (2): 20-32. White F., 1983. The Vegetation of Africa. A descriptive memoir to accompany the Unesco/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa. Paris:Unesco. pp.356. Wilks, C., 1990. in litt. to Richard Luxmoore. |
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