THE ECOLOGICAL NICHE OF <em>DACRYODES</em> <em>BUETTNERI</em> (BURSERACEAE), A TIMBER TREE IN CENTRAL AFRICA

Abstract

TODOU G, ONANA JM, ACHOUNDONG, AKOA A, D’EECKENBRUGGE GC & JOLY HI. 2014. The ecological niche of Dacryodes buettneri (Burseraceae), a timber tree in Central Africa. Dacryodes buettneri is an important timber tree in Central Africa. Its wood, commercially called ozigo, is sold in domestic and international markets. The species is only occasionally planted, mostly in home gardens. It is locally threatened. To assist in management planning and sustainable in-situ conservation, a study of the geographic distribution and ecological niche of D. buettneri was conducted. Data from 218 georeferenced collections were used to describe the geographic distribution. Assimilations based on 19 climatic parameters were used in order to describe the areas where it grew and to determine optimal values of climatic factors. The results showed that there were more collections of D. buettneri from Gabon than from neighbouring countries, with only a few collections in southern Cameroon and southern Congo. The modelled optimal rainfall was between 1600 and 2000 mm year^-1 and the modelled optimal mean annual temperature, 23.8–25.8 °C. Dacryodes buettneri grows at low altitudes, from 0 to 750 m above sea level. The results of this study will be used to optimise strategies for in-situ conservation of populations of D. buettneri.