Prunus africana commonly called the African Cherry, Red Stinkwood or African Almond is one of Africa’s treasures. Locally, in Cameroon, this plant is called Pygeum or Kirah. It grows at altitudes of 700-3400 metres above sea level, up to a height of around 40 metres. This plant has creamy white flowers and it produces black fleshy fruits similar to a cherry when ripe. Its fruits form a crucial part of daily diet for many monkeys, birds and squirrels.

Globally, there are more than 200 species that are part of the genus Prunus, but Prunus africana is the only one found in Africa, thus it is unique and endemic to Africa. It is one out of about 13 critical plant species, patchily distributed, in the montane forest ecosystems in Cameroon. The majority of pygeum populations in Cameroon are found in the North West (NW) region around the Bamenda Highlands including the Abongphen Highland Forest, South West (SW) region on Mt Cameroon and Adamoua region on Mt Tchabal Mbabo.

Prunus africana are magical and a multiple-use species, locally used as fuelwood and for charcoal production. It is also used for making poles, hoe and axe handles. The ecological function of it around the Bamenda Highlands cannot be argued - as a bee loving plant it is highly efficient in honey production, also used in protecting water catchments, and as a boundary marker. Prunus africana is known internationally because of its highly medicinal value for humans and animals; it has been processed into a tea for genito-urinary complaints, allergies, inflammation, kidney disease, malaria, stomach ache, fever, chest pain, heartburn, as well as for animal medical treatment. Internationally it is of high medicinal economic value. Bark of this plant is exported dried, chipped or powdered to pharmaceutical industries in France, Spain, Germany and USA to produce an extract used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Unsustainable harvested Prunus bark - this tree is going to day during following dry season

Countries hosting this species tend to make huge economic benefit from the export of its bark hence it has been reffered to as “Africa’s Green Gold”. For example, the 2012 bark quota (658.675 t) from Cameroon alone was worth over US$3.9 million. Due to this opportunity to profit, the government of Cameroon made a request to the European Union Scientific Review Group in February 2014 to increase the 2014 quota to 1092 t, as this will raise profits worth US$6.5 million.

The unsustainable harvest and allotting of quotas greater than wild sustainable stocks are some of the major threats this species is facing in areas where this plant is located like the Abongphen Highland Forest in Cameroon. The montane forest where this treasure plant is found has been widely exploited for its bark since the 1980s. Due to this over exploitation in the Bamenda Highlands and other parts of the country, in 1991, Prunus africana harvests in Cameroon were halted by the national legislation (Ministry of Agriculture, 1991). In 1983, the local prefectural order declared a harvest ban on Prunus africana for the Kilum forest. Similarly, in 1997 district level bans were also declared in Ijim forest, and on 2006 Oku forest joined as well (E26.03/GSB/19/S.1/288 Sub-Prefectural Decision No. 3). In addition, traditional leaders have also banned trade due to destructive harvest, with a ban currently in place around the area of Oku (2014). Despite this ban local people still carry out illegal over exploitation.

In 2012, due to zero quotas granted by CITES to Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya and Madagascar, Cameroon was supplying 72.6% of the global supply of P. africana bark (658.7 t), while the remaining 27.4% comes from Uganda (176.2 t) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (72 t), (CITES, 2012).

This plant species is rated on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable on a global scale but looking at its population locally in some areas of Cameroon, like the Abongphen Highland Forest, this plant can be said to be Critically Endangered while moving rapidly to Local Extinction.

Despite the ecological values of Prunus africana in globally significant conservation areas, this genetically and chemically diverse plant is under danger. Wild populations are increasing pressure for commercial trade hence making this plant vulnerable. While decreasing sharply in absolute levels, Prunus africana is not critically endangered in some areas like the Abongphen Highland Forest, and even in several other “protected areas” in Cameroon forest.

To save this species from local extinction join @kedjom-keku to safeguard the future of this treasure plant through domestication on the Abongphen Highland Forest.

Prunus africana in our tree nursery

1 year Prunus africana trnansplanted around water spring

The same Prunus africana 3 years old.

Reference links

source 1, source 2, source 3

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Let's save 1,000 hectares of Abonpghen Highland Forest in Cameroon together with us @kedjom-keku association

@martin.mikes
Co-founder and coordinator of @kedjom-keku association
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