BUILDING BIODIVERSITY INTO ALLANBLACKIA INITIATIVES: FOREST AND
LANDSCAPE OPPORTUNITIES
Lecture handout for AB Tree Domestication Course, 23rd to 27th October 2006
Samuel Kofi Nyame
IUCN, Ghana, c/o P O Box 527, Accra.
Virpi Stucki
IUCN, HQ,
Fast track summary
AGRICULTURAL
Title Building biodiversity into Allanblackia initiatives: Forest and agricultural landscapes opportunities.
Learning objectives
Participants will be able to:

Appreciate the potential of AB in forest and agricultural landscape activities.

Describe some of the key issues that must be addressed in incorporating AB into these activities.
Instructional methods
Thirty-minute classroom presentation (PowerPoint) with discussion.
Instructional materials
‘Lecture’ note, copy of PowerPoint presentation.
Summary
The genus Allanblackia, which belongs to the Clusiaceae family, appears to consist of nine (possibly 10) tree
species, all restricted to Africa. Taxonomy within the genus appears somewhat complex, with some species
having numerous synonyms, and the divisions between taxa indeterminate.
All members of the genus are apparently dioecious (separate male and female trees), with trees being single
stemmed, up to 40 m tall, with whorled branches, long-lived and long-fruiting, and the biggest fruit of all
plants in African rainforest (particularly A. stuhlmannii).
Draft Guidelines have been developed by IUCN and Unilever to promote a socially acceptable and
environmentally sound market-based financing mechanism for the harvesting of Allanblackia seed, and to
safeguard biodiversity and livelihoods in the tropical forest belt in Africa. The main message of the guidelines is
that, if you adhere to these measures, you will have a market for your Allanblackia seed.
There is a relationship between Allanblackia and biodiversity conservation in Forest Landscape Restoration and
agricultural landscape approaches:

Sustainable wild-harvesting = more equitable benefit sharing from the forest resource, providing an
increased incentive to maintain and enhance the integrity of the resource (especially if seed buyers demand
good practice).

Smallholder production can help enhance the integrity of forest landscapes because incorporating
Allanblackia into farming systems can contribute to improved landscape connectivity.
The key lessons learnt so far for practical deployment under the Allanblackia initiative include:

Local communities abilities should be enhanced to benefit from forests.

Legislation that favours the sustainable use of AB and other natural resources, and that enhances
livelihood security and forest governance, should be promoted.

Species that are dependent on Allanblackia fruit and seed should be monitored and if necessary promoted,
and the paths used in harvesting in the wild (forest) should avoid parts of the ecosystem that are
considered of particularly high value.

Impacts on other species (including animals) should be considered before introducing the tree into new
areas.

Natural and artificial Allanblackia regeneration should be promoted to compensate for the inevitable
decline resulting from the loss of seed input from the ecosystem.

Harvesting guidelines, although useful, are not presently easy to comprehend by local communities. These
therefore need to be translated into local languages and simplified.
Key references

Amanor, K., Ghansah W., Hawthorne, W.D., Smith, G. (Nov 2003). Best practices guidelines (for
discussions)

Nyame, K. S. (2006). Allanblackia oil: supporting local livelihoods and conservation in Ghana. Arborvitae,
30, 7
Lecture note
1.
Distribution, inventory and description of Allanblackia
The genus Allanblackia, which belongs to the Clusiaceae family (which worldwide
contains ~ 40 genera), appears to consist of nine (possibly 10) tree species, all
restricted to Africa. Taxonomy within the genus appears somewhat complex, with some
species having numerous synonyms, and the divisions between taxa indeterminate; to
help delineate the relationships and boundaries between species, molecular genetic
studies are currently underway, though no results are yet available. All members of the
genus are apparently dioecious (separate male and female trees), with trees being single
stemmed, up to 40 m tall, with whorled branches, long-lived and long-fruiting, and the
biggest fruit of all plants in African rainforest (particularly A. stuhlmannii).
According to recent review (2002 onwards) of available literature (including of previous
botanical inventories) and herbarium specimens, combined with selected field surveys
initiated by Unilever as part of the Novella Project, Allanblackia species are mainly
distributed in the wet evergreen rainforest (and, sometimes, surrounding farmland) of
the lowlands of Sierra Leone, along the Gulf of Guinea, through the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC), to the uplands of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. The names
and current known distributions of the nine presently determined species of Allanblackia
are given in Table 1. Two members of the genus appear to be endemic to DRC and two
to Tanzania. In some cases, the distribution of species is sympatric (that is, distributions
are very proximate or overlap on a local scale; examples are A. floribunda and A.
stanerana in Cameroon, and A. stuhlmannii and A. ulugurensis in Tanzania). Also shown
in Table 1 is the conservation status of species according to IUCN reports; three species
(A. gabonensis, A. stuhlmannii and A. ulugurensis; the last two endemic to the Eastern
Arc Mountains of Tanzania) are considered vulnerable in status, due to habitat loss and
degradation and/or small initial population areas.
Inventories of the densities of Allanblackia trees through the range of the genus are
patchy (only certain geographic areas covered) and surveys are ongoing, but at some of
those sites for which data are currently available, species can (especially in wetter areas)
be found at high stand densities (including of mature individuals, for example in some
Tanzanian forests), sometimes being one of the dominant trees. In addition, at a subset
of locations, it is observed that Allanblackia trees are retained when other forest trees
are cleared, possibly for local use of the oil or to attract bush meat, and are sometimes
apparently retained in niches less favourable for crop production; this means that
reasonable densities of remnants can sometimes be found in farmland after forest
cutting. Although Tanzanian stands can reach high densities, the actual overall size of
the Allanblackia resource in Tanzania appears to be fairly limited, because of the
relatively small geographic areas in which the genus grows (the small mountains of the
Eastern Arc).
The above observations on natural stand density and farmland retention of trees
indicated good potential at a number of locations across west, central, and east Africa for
initiating harvesting programmes for Allanblackia, although it seems likely that
inventories have sometimes overestimated fruit availability. This appears to be due to a
number of reasons, possibly including insufficient attention to the issue of dioecy (~ half
only of mature trees are likely to fruit), possible masting (year-to-year variation in fruit
production) and the patchy nature of tree distributions.
A further issue to consider when assessing prospects for harvesting is that of ease of
access. What appear to represent large populations suitable for the establishment of
harvesting programmes are in some cases located in countries and regions that are
currently inaccessible, including for political reasons (for example, recent or ongoing civil
war) and because of the absence of suitable infrastructure; although Allanblackia seed
can be stored for several months before oil extraction, a reasonable road system is still
required to deliver product to market. Both Liberia and DRC appear to have large stands
2
of Allanblackia that are currently excluded from collection for one or both of these
reasons.
In addition to considerations of population sizes and access, the ability to set up oil
collection schemes depends (at least in the early stages of the initiative) on already
established commercial interests in each of the prospective harvesting countries. From
Unilever’s perspective, these and other considerations mean that Cameroon (with an
emphasis on harvesting A. floribunda), Ghana (emphasis on A. parviflora), Nigeria (A.
floribunda) and Tanzania (A. stuhlmannii, despite the rather small geographic size of
stands) are of most interest for focused activities in the early stages of market supply
chain establishment. In order of rank during early development of the initiative,
Tanzania is considered first priority, followed by Ghana, Nigeria and then Cameroon. In
each of these countries, Allanblackia is found in both natural forest and farm (and fallow)
land.
As can be noted by comparison with Table 1, therefore, harvesting and market
development is considered to be of highest priority in the country (Tanzania) where both
present Allanblackia species are endemic and, according to IUCN lists, are vulnerable in
status (the third vulnerable species of the genus being located in Cameroon and Gabon);
clearly, this raises some concerns from a conservation perspective and means particular
attention to sustainability issues is required. From the genus perspective, therefore,
efforts to bring Allanblackia into forest landscape restoration and participatory forest
management strategies will be particularly important in Tanzania.
Table 1. Allanblackia species and their apparent distributions
Species
Distribution
Status of species (IUCN)
A. floribunda
A. gabonensis
Nigeria to DRC
Cameroon, Gabon
A kimbilensis
A. kisonghi
A. marienii
A. parviflora
A. stanerana
A. stuhlmannii
DRC (Kivu), Uganda
DRC
DRC
Sierra Leone to Ghana
Angola, Cameroon, DRC
Tanzania (Eastern Arc)
A. ulugurensis
Tanzania (Eastern Arc)
Not listed
Vulnerable, habitat loss and degradation
(VU A2c)
Not listed
Not listed
Not listed
Not listed
Not listed
Vulnerable, habitat loss and degradation
(VU B1+2c)
Vulnerable, habitat loss and degradation
(VU B1+2c)
2.0.
The ‘Allanblackia: Standard setting and sustainable supply chain
management Project’ in Ghana
The Allanblackia business started in Ghana in 2002 as a unique public-private
partnership (PPP) engaging participation and investment from the onset. The PPP
initiated the Novella I Project of which the above project is a part. This unique
partnership was developed to ensure the success of this novel project, from seed
collection by local communities through processing to marketing. The broad aim of this
partnership is to promote social acceptability, environmental sustainability and financial
viability, and brings together the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Unilever, the World
Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the
Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic
3
Affairs (SECO), and a number of governmental agencies and civil society organizations in
Africa, including local communities, in a bid to take action on global environmental and
trade related commitments.
The “Allanblackia: standard setting and sustainable supply chain management project”,
funded by SECO and implemented by IUCN through its members (the Forestry Research
Institute of Ghana – FORIG, and the Institute of Cultural Affairs Ghana - ICA-Ghana) and
partners – Technoserve, Unilever and SNV (a novel implementation approach by IUCN to
strengthen and develop capacity of its members and partners), was launched in Ghana
in March 2005 with an initial duration of three years. The project is investigating the
socio-economic, species and botanical impacts of Allanblackia commercialisation with the
intention of providing instruments that will ensure sustainable harvesting as well as
equitable sharing of benefits among the stakeholders.
The overall development objective of the project is to promote sustainable development
and trade in Allanblackia oil as a contribution towards national economic development,
by diversifying income sources to improve the livelihood of poor rural communities and
by fostering sustainable biodiversity conservation and management in Ghana. The
specific objective of the project is to promote the instruments (Best Practice Guidelines)
that will ensure sustainable harvesting of Allanblackia as well as equitable sharing of
benefits amongst the various stakeholders (mainly the rural poor communities) whose
primary role is the collection and selling of seeds of Allanblackia.
The results of this project will feed into the best practice guidelines for the harvesting of
Allanblackia.
The expected outputs of the project are:
 Best-practice guidelines for Allanblackia harvesting are adopted by industry and
collectors,
 Biological and socio-economic baselines are established,
 Institutional and legal aspects regarding Allanblackia harvesting are clarified; and
that the
 Allanblackia supply chain is managed in a way that is environmentally sustainable,
socially equitable and economically viable, with primary producers trained in good
practice harvesting methods.
The project aims to build capacity in local organizations in a way that external partners
can then withdraw gradually from the project and leave the Ghanaian’s to take over the
markets. Other long-term benefits of the project should include:




Reduced poverty in pilot field sites,
Increased export earnings and improved national-level economic development,
Functioning small- and medium-scale businesses along the supply chain; and
Improved forest quality and cover through protection and restoration of forests with
native species.
The short-term benefits of the project include development of good-practice guidelines,
which will serve as a practical tool for the beneficiaries ranging from the collectors to the
small- and medium-sized enterprises. Considerable effort, through training and other
capacity building campaigns, is made to ensure that the guidelines are used in the field
and that they are suitable and easily-utilizable on a daily basis.
At the end of the project, the impact of wild picking of Allanblackia on biodiversity and
on local socio-economic conditions will have been determined. The results of these
studies will be used to guide future harvesting and project activities, so as to ensure that
supply chain practices are socially equitable and do not harm biodiversity. Similarly, legal
and tenurial questions related to Allanblackia harvesting at local, national and
international levels will have been determined, in order to ensure that the activities
4
carried out by the different stakeholders along the supply chain respect local, national
and international laws.
Other short-term benefits include making sure that targeted small- and medium-size
enterprises have new skills on running their businesses, which will help them to operate
independently in Allanblackia markets when the project ends. They will also have the
capacity to operate and earn their living with other products than that of Allanblackia, if
need be.
At the end of the project, through a communications component, local public in Ghana as
well as global public internationally will be aware of the Allanblackia public-private
partnership and its implications for forest conservation. This will ensure that the lessonslearnt from the project are widely distributed through printed and electronic media.
IUCN’s members and partners in Ghana actually involved with the implementation of
project activities in the field are as follows:



3.0.
The Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) together with an
international forest ecologist, Dr. William Hawthorne, who have established
structures for the biological monitoring of Allanblackia.
The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), together with a Ghanaian
anthropologist Prof. Kojo Amanor, who have collected baseline socio-economic
and indigenous knowledge data in the project’s target villages, and have carried
out education and awareness creation on forest conservation in the project target
villages and other AB endemic communities in the Western region of Ghana.
Technoserve (TNS), who have carried out a supply chain stakeholder analysis
and organized Business Development Services (BDS) trainings for a selected
group of stakeholders (focal persons)
Development and use of harvesting guidelines
To secure a sustainable supply of Allanblackia seed to meet the needs of the buyer
(currently only Unilever), harvesting guidelines were developed by IUCN and Unilever in
an interdisciplinary team in 2003. In the short term, guidelines will be used for
harvesting seed from natural stands by the Unilever supply chain. In the longer term,
guidelines will be applied to Allanblackia harvesting from natural and cultivate stands
involving other buyers or supply chain arrangements. A draft version of the guidelines is
currently being tested in the field in Ghana to ensure their usefulness for all current and
potential stakeholders. Although these guidelines have been developed for Ghana, they
are expected to be largely relevant in other countries within the Novella initiative.
The main message of these guidelines is that, if you adhere to these measures, you
will have a market for your Allanblackia seeds.
Because Unilever and other potential buyers have an interest in being associated with
fair and ethical behaviour, they will not buy from suppliers who will not comply with the
guidelines, in order to safeguard their reputations. However, since the trade is involved
with many unknowns, the emphasis in the short to medium term should or will be on
assisting suppliers to attain standards through a mutual learning process, while these
standards evolve in a way that remains attainable.
These guidelines are additional to the legal obligations
international legislation on individual harvesters, groups,
and invariably all other stakeholders along the supply
frameworks include the Business Principles Code of
Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).
5
placed by local, national and
employers, local communities
chain. Other applicable legal
(for now) Unilever and the
3.1.
Objectives of the guidelines
The intention of the guidelines is that Allanblackia harvesting using given
recommendations will continue to yield well over the years, without diminishing the
other values of forest for present and future generations. Local communities and
individuals should benefit from their involvement in harvesting. However, they will need
to maintain their independence and not to suffer from any vulnerability in a situation
where the project fails to achieve success commercially.
Basically there are four main objectives of the guidelines and these are to:




Sustain biodiversity in the landscape (minimise adverse effects on biodiversity,
making a positive contribution where possible),
Sustain social and local economic values (enable local communities to protect and
improve their well being and environments),
Sustain the physical environment (minimise adverse effects on the physical
environment); and
Sustain product supply and value (produce high quality product, while maintaining
the viability, diversity and yield of existing source trees)
Copies of the draft version of the guidelines are available (contact Mr. Samuel Kofi
Nyame at samuel.kofi.nyame@iucn.org or Virpi Stucki at virpi.stucki@iucn.org)
The guidelines objectives will be achieved as long as everyone understands and
conforms to certain Principles of behaviour. The principles adopted in the drafting of
the guidelines relate to biodiversity - animal life, plant life and vegetation, Allanblackia
populations, genes, local variation patterns and regeneration, social – social structures,
information, education & awareness, fairness, equitability, culture and historical
diversity, individual health and safety; environmental – nutrient cycles and soil quality,
forest structure, pollutants and synthetic chemicals; and commercial outcomes – oil
quality, seed/oil quantity and sustained supply.
The principles are listed in section Error! Reference source not found. of the
guidelines dealing with the four objectives. It must be pointed out that these principles
are fairly general and may be hard to adhere to or interpret, so at the most practical
level, as is recommended in sections Error! Reference source not found. (harvesting)
and Error! Reference source not found. (Planting Allanblackia) of the guidelines, are
some typical actions required to conform to the principles. Certain specific actions have
been listed as examples of how the principles should be converted into Good Practice.
A few examples are listed below
For wild harvesting
 Do not cut down trees to harvest
 Wherever possible encourage regeneration of Allanblackia stands as part of forest
restoration, agroforestry schemes or within farmland. If possible, work with
nature by promoting natural regeneration and encouraging dispersers
 Develop and promote a good understanding of propagation techniques
 Research proportion of seeds that are dispersed by which animals
 Ensure that access to Allanblackia harvesting is equitable
 Protect trees (even if not Allanblackia) within riparian strips, on steep slopes and
in the land between farms; in particular, don’t make wide paths by felling trees
For Planting Allanblackia
 Promote Allanblackia cultivation, but cautiously as the market may collapse.
 Do not make an Allanblackia monoculture: Mixed plantations of this shade
tolerant, small-crowned tree will provide more ecological and economic security
 Promote knowledge of how to identify Allanblackia seedlings and don’t
unnecessarily kill seedlings when clearing land
 Don’t chop down other trees on riverbanks to make space for Allanblackia
6

Conduct standard, extensive research and trials on Allanblackia arboriculture
(some listed below), ranging from the basic germination trials to provenance
trials of seed production etc.
The specific guidelines recommended are open to evolution and adaptation and cannot
provide specific actions for all possible eventualities. The guidelines listed provide insight
into how the principles may be applied for the objectives to be achieved. Practitioners
are therefore expected and encouraged to develop appropriate responses to unexpected
situations as they arise.
This may lead to differences in guidelines between countries. The key differences may
arise from differences in social, culture and historical diversity in the different countries.
These guidelines may be plagued with several challenges, which may be seen as the
practical management issues to deal with. Key amongst these are:





4.0.
Acceptance and adherence by stakeholders in the supply chain,
Accessibility and understanding of the guidelines,
Enforcement of guidelines; can one be sanctioned for non-compliance, apart from
non-purchase of nuts? If yes, what sanction? Will it be lawful or not?
How to encourage community-based efforts that will promote structures that
enable the equitable sharing of biodiversity benefits and associated intellectual
property rights.
Funding of the various research programmes outlined in the guidelines e.g.
agricultural research needed to determine what inputs are needed or desirable for
the agroforestry systems or plantations advocated by the guidelines.
Allanblackia and biodiversity
Restoration Approach
conservation-
A
forest
landscape
There is a relationship between Allanblackia and biodiversity conservation because,
sustainable wild-harvesting will lead to more equitable benefits sharing from the forest
resource. In addition, Allanblackia will provide an increased incentive to maintain and
enhance the integrity of the resource (especially if buyers demand good practice), and
smallholder productions of Allanblackia can help enhance the integrity of forest
landscapes, with Allanblackia incorporated into farming systems contributing to improved
landscape connectivity.
In many African countries, forest landscapes have been modified through man’s
activities such that they can no longer deliver the goods and services people need now
and in the future. A Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) approach aims to negotiate with
stakeholders those activities that provide the optimum outputs in terms of total delivery
of goods and services – such as biodiversity conservation, enhanced options for
livelihoods, and environmental functioning at the landscape level.
FLR is a pragmatic and forward-looking approach to addressing forest loss and
degradation worldwide. Recognizing that tree cover no longer dominates many tropical
forest landscapes, and that land use has dramatically decreased the availability of forest
goods and services, FLR focuses on restoring forest functionality. This means restoring
the goods, services and ecological processes that forests can provide at the broader
landscape level rather than solely promoting increased tree cover at a particular location.
FLR acknowledges the reality that a typical forest landscape today is more likely to be a
mix of primary, secondary, managed and degraded forest interspersed with plantations
and areas of non-forest land uses. It recognises that the livelihood and land-use
strategies of the communities living in these landscapes are determined more by real-life
trade-offs rather than any direct motivation to return forest landscapes to their original
pristine state. FLR is hence an approach that seeks to put in place forest-based assets
7
that are good for both people and the environment. It incorporates a number of existing
rural development, conservation and natural resource management principles and works
to restore multiple forest functions to degraded landscapes. However, there is no set
blueprint for FLR, and restoring forest functionality to a landscape has to be built around
a collaborative process of learning and adaptive management.
Allanblackia provides a unique opportunity to use a native tree species, with
environmental and economic benefits, to restore degraded forest lands in Ghana and
other African countries that have experienced a period of exotic species plantations
resulting in negative consequences for local biodiversity and livelihoods. The tree has
thick bark which gives it relatively good resistance against forest fires (some farmers in
the semi-deciduous forest landscapes value it for reducing risks of farm fires during the
dry season since the tree keeps the ground moist) and thus adds to its positive qualities
for restoration, where wild or bush fires cause appreciable damage to biodiversity every
year. Allanblackia casts only minimal shade with its narrow crown and is sometimes hard
to remove because it sprouts easily. Smallholder productions of Allanblackia can help
enhance the integrity of forest landscapes, while incorporating Allanblackia into farming
systems will contribute to improved landscape connectivity.
Using Allanblackia in forest landscape restoration programmes, although potentially
beneficial, also has some risks to biodiversity. These include the possibility of overharvesting seed sources, with the impact this may have on regeneration, and the
evolution of Allanblackia into a plantation tree (contrary to Novella Project objectives).
Furthermore, there are habitat disturbance issues linked to seed collection. These risks
can be reduced through careful management and by promoting legislation that favours
the sustainable use of Allanblackia and enhances livelihood security and forest
governance.
In order to ensure that sufficient amounts of AB trees are available for seed production,
forest management systems across a continuum of forest landscapes is being explored.
These include agroforestry systems, natural forest management, secondary forest
management, community forestry, co-management, etc. These options can help increase
the income generating capacity of the forest for local farmers, while ensuring that the
diversity within forest ecosystem is maintained and the AB tree is integrated into local
agricultural production systems. It restores landscapes in a way that conforms to
farmers’ interests and enhances economic opportunities for both present and future
generations by improving biodiversity through the recreation of forest structures.
In Ghana, for example, AB is being considered for the Government’s aforestation
programme under the modified taungya system. The AB tree will be one of the
indigenous trees being promoted by the Plantation Development Unit of the Forest
Services Division of the Forestry Commission.
Meanwhile, to efficiently incorporate AB within FLR approaches, several issues need to be
addressed. The key ones being transfer of know-how (propagation, development and
cultivation of AB) and the collection of germplasm in the form of seed or vegetative
propagules to nurseries and farmers
4.1.
Allanblackia and biodiversity conservation- An agricultural landscape
approach
The project is poised to contribute to biodiversity conservation through the use of the
tree in agroforestry systems in the agricultural landscape. The tree is common in the
wild, and frequently used as shade tree in cocoa farms. However, the introduction of
hybrid cocoa, that thrives well without shade trees, means that such shade tress are
disappearing from farms (although hybrid cocoa does still benefit from some shade). All
is not lost yet as this project and another initiative in Ghana, by Conservation
International (the Conservation of Globally Significant Biodiversity in Cocoa Production
8
Landscape in West Africa), where AB may be included, will help save significant numbers
of AB shade trees through market promotion. The cocoa farms can reduce encroachment
into forests and protected areas, provide ecological connectivity among protected areas
and provide on-farm habitat for certain species. In addition, well-managed farms can
also maintain soil and hydrological services as well as act as carbon sinks. The overall
goal of the project is therefore to conserve globally significant biodiversity in cocoa
production landscapes in West Africa. The call by farmers for AB seedlings to inter-plant
on their existing cocoa farms is a good indication of their willingness to help improve
their landscape and also generate additional income.
The use of AB in agroforestry systems offers possible solutions to the need to improve
farm production and income at the small-farm level and at the same time combat
environmental degradation, leading to the conservation of biodiversity. However,
research is needed into cocoa–AB interactions, in order to understand the beneficial or
otherwise impacts of AB planting in Ghana. Here germplasm collection of Allanblackia is
necessary in order to evaluate its potential value in agroforestry systems.The provision
of superior tree germplasm can facilitate the uptake of, and return from, agroforestry
systems, bringing increased resources to farmers as well as providing other,
environmental, benefits. Environmental benefits may include the protection of
biodiversity, by decreasing exploitation of primary habitats and via circa situ
conservation.
4.2.
Allanblackia and Livelihood enhancement
The AB project is thus a careful blend of the resources, expertise and interests of public
and private organisations, in a unique public-private partnership, to pursue both a
commercial and a developmental agenda that would/should benefit all participants based
on respect, trust, commitment and a strong orientation towards the future. The seeds
from Allanblackia will certainly add some additional income to that of the rural poor
communities. Poor families who were unable to meet certain basic domestic needs now
feel a little relieved as they are able to provide for some of these by proceeds from the
sale of Allanblackia seed. For example, one Madam Ama Gyiwaah, a collector at Subriso
(a community near Asankragwa in the Wassa Amenfi District of the Western Region of
Ghana), when asked about the motivation and importance to collect AB, said, “there is
certainly a big trade now for AB nuts and the fact that the opportunity exists brings
additional income into my family and helps improve my livelihood”. With this income she
is able to contribute her part to the family upkeep and even take care of her personal
needs, which would otherwise not have been provided for by her husband. She also said
the project has the potential to create employment for her women colleagues, and she
hopes to use herself as an example for other women in her community.
When asked whether the environment would not suffer from her and others’ collection
activities, she had this to say: “Why should a community like Subriso be deprived
additional income from its natural resources when the rest of the country is not?” She
maintained that since the nuts have now been recognized as very useful and bring them
some income, she and others will endeavour to protect the trees, especially those on the
farms of their husbands and in the wild. They will not cut the wildlings down.
Allanblackia holds out the potential to provide a novel source of household income for
rural populations, while contributing to forest landscape restoration and communitybased fire management. For all partners, it is essential that the new supply chain will be
set up in an economically viable, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable way.
In the short term, Allanblackia seeds will be gathered from existing tree –populations,
while in the longer term, small holder agroforestry systems will be developed.
9
5.






Key lessons learnt for practical deployment.
Local communities’ abilities should be enhanced to benefit from the forests, through
initiatives such as the Novella Project.
Legislation that favours the sustainable use of AB and other natural resources, and
that enhance livelihood security and forest governance should be promoted.
[Legislation on NTFP development. There are no national laws regulating NTFPs other
than wildlife outside of Forest Reserves. Most NTFP development occurs outside of
reserves. Customary law therefore regulates NTFP development, which because it
follows social consensus is currently in a state of flux as contending interests vie for
control over landed resources. If NTFP prices increase significantly this could lead to
conflicts in communities over the resultant rent.]
Species that are dependent on Allanblackia fruit and seed should be monitored and if
necessary promoted, and paths used for wild (forest) harvesting should avoid parts
of the ecosystem that are considered of particularly high value.
Likely impacts (positive and negative) on other species (including animals) should be
considered before introducing the tree into new areas.
Natural and artificial Allanblackia regeneration should be promoted to compensate for
the inevitable decline resulting from the loss of seed input from the ecosystem.
Harvesting guidelines are not easy for local communities to comprehend, and need to
be simplified and translated into local languages.
A great deal can be learned from efforts in FLR. For us working in poverty reduction and
conservation, whether they call it community forestry, integrated conservation and
development, or whatever – the challenge is to continually evaluate what is done, and to
question its impacts on conservation and the poor. This sort of evaluation can help to
change what is not working or is counterproductive and can validate ideas, approaches
and strategies for future application.
6.0.
Important gaps where further work or research needed
The whole AB business is still evolving and a lot of work has already been done while
others are currently on-going to make the business attractive, socially acceptable,
environmentally sustainable and financially viable. Despite the enormous work done so
far and still on-going, there are still more that are not yet known. Information on these
will further enhance achievement of the above.
We need to know existing cocoa extension recommendations on shade trees, including
Allanblackia
and
critically
examine the
perspectives
that
promote these
recommendations. We need to look at the impacts (positive and negative) of the AB –
cocoa interactions on each other.
We need research into cocoa farming that examines the integration of shade trees into
cocoa plantations from a landscape restoration perspective, and which examines the
problems that emerge when cocoa is old and replanted
We also need to consider Allanblackia as one of a number of forest products that can be
integrated into cocoa plantations, in which the synergy between the various elements
leads to the enhancement of the agroecosystem and of the income of farmers
We need to know what diseases, pests or parasites that AB is prone to and its resistance
to these and other stress factors in the wild, on farmlands and in smallholder
plantations.
Information on animals dependent on AB and their impact on AB harvesting and the
impact of AB harvesting on the populations of these animals is needed to ensure
sustainable harvesting of the nuts and viable populations of these animals.
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Certainly there is the potential of the AB to be processed locally to add value to the
product to bring more income to the farmer – establishing small scale processing centres
to meet the needs of the rural communities – just like the case with the palm fruits. But
its feasibility and commercial viability needs to be research into to provide the needed
information that will motivate people to do.
Can Allanblackia cultivation provide an alternative cultivation system that contributes
towards the development of a more sustainable agriculture?
In addition to the above other areas to explore to fill the gaps in knowledge on AB have
been enumerated in the draft guidelines
7.0.
References
Amanor, K., Ghansah W., Hawthorne, W.D., Smith, G. (Nov 2003). Best practices
guidelines (for discussions)
Dawson I, (2006). Novella Project Baseline elements: a review (unpublished).
IUCN (2005). Allanblackia; standard setting and sustainable supply chain management.
Project document
Kyeretwie A. Opoku, (2006). Allanblackia: standard setting ands sustainable supply
chain management project: Legal and Institutional aspects. Final report
Nyame, K. S. (2006). Allanblackia oil: supporting local livelihoods and conservation in
Ghana. Arborvitae, 30, 7
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