Browsing by Author "Shayo, Victoria Rementone"

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    Conservation status of osyrislanceolata in northern Tanzania a case study of Ngorongoro conservation area and Karatu forests in Arusha
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2015) Shayo, Victoria Rementone
    Osyrislanceolata is threatened by over exploitation due to illegal harvesting especially in unprotected areas in Tanzania and East Africa. Although Tanzania and Kenya have initiated species status assessment surveys, there is limited information on the status of the species in Karatu and Ngorongoro Districts. The population structure and distribution of O. lanceolata in protected and unprotected areas were examined to assess regeneration of the species and to determine the utilization patterns of O. lanceolata by adjacent communities. Plants assessment was carried out on 28 and 10 sample plots in protected and unprotected areas respectively. The information recorded included diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and numbers of coppices, saplings and seedlings per unit area. Ethno-botanical data were collected through 98 structured questionnaires; two focus group discussions and four key informant interviews. Analysis was done using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Independent t-test was used to compare continuous data. Results indicated that in protected and unprotected areas, the stems density were 442stems/ha and 263stems/ha (p=0.033) and the mean volume of standing wood was 853.2cm3/ha and 577.1cm3/ha respectively. While the densities of saplings, seedlings and coppices were 28/ha, 246/ha and 68/ha in the protected but were 6/ha, 154/ha and 14/ha in unprotected area. Three percent of respondents use O. lanceolata for medicinal purposes while six percent sell them. These findings suggest that the protected area plays a key role in the conservation of O.lanceolata. Protective measures as well as seed germination initiatives are recommended to promote the species sustainability. Since female O. lanceolata is believed to have stronger scent than male ones, further studies on male/female ratio densities of standing wood are warranted