A Tree Grows in Kenya:
The Status of Prunus africana in the Kakamega Forest, Western Kenya

Michal Kapitulnik

Brown University, Sc.B. May 2005

Global deforestation coupled with rapid human population growth has resulted in widespread forest fragmentation and increased pressure on forest products. This has resulted in habitat loss, species endangerment, and loss of ecosystem function. One method of combating these detrimental effects is through agroforestry, which seeks to mirror forest structure by establishing multiple canopies of growth including timber species, medicinal and food crops in one integrated system. In the Kakamega Forest, Western Kenya, human encroachment on the forest for agricultural land and forest products has resulted in wide spread deforestation, with the result that only a small fragment of intact forest remains One species suffering from this increased pressure is Prunus africana.

P. africana is a medicinal tree important in both local and global markets. The species is endangered across it's range, mostly due to harvesting of wild populations. In the Kakamega forest, however, the driver of scarcity is unknown. This project seeks to identify causes of scarcity and subsequent tools for successfully propagating Prunus africana in agroforestry programs. If P. africana can be successfully grown through agroforestry, generating income, it could be an important tool for conserving this species.