Abstract:

Faitherbia albida formerly Acacia albida. is an important agro-silvo-pastoral tree species in the Sahelian Africa. It retains its leaves during dry season and sheds them off during wet season. And by so doing, and being leguminous tree. it enriches-the soil, provides micro-climate favorable for crops growth and provides green. fodder rich in carbohydrates and protein during dry season for the livestock. It provides timber, fuelwood, medicine and food in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). Owing to the excessive recent drought which has led to desertification, human agricultural activities, refugee problem in the ASALs, the germplasm of this important resource/commodity in the ASALs has been severely threatened to the extent that Food and agriculture Organization (FAQ) Panel of Experts on Forest Genetic Resources included it among the endangered species and gave it a priority status for conservation and study to help reverse the situation. F albida which was once widely distributed in west, east and southern Africa is now found in small, scattered populations in few areas of East Africa compared to west Africa. In Tanzania such populations have been documented to occur in Mwembe while in Kenya, they are found in the dry northern part of the country at Kainuk and Tot. Pockets of trees have also been reported to occur along some rivers and the shores of Lake Victoria. It is not known exactly whether there are populations of F. albida in Uganda and it could be interesting to find out it they exist in Uganda and whether they are also faced with extinction. To our knowledge, the eastern African F albida. although equally endangered like others elsewhere in Africa, has not received any conservation efforts like their counterparts in west and southern Africa. This is not fair because recent reports indicate that eastern Africa is the probable centre of origin-of this species and hence theoretically, this region should contain the highest level of genetic diversity of this species. This therefore emphasizes the reason why planned ex-situ and in-situ conservation of this species should take careful consideration to this region.The amount of genetic diversity within and among the different populations of F. albida found in East Africa is
unknown at present. Meaningful conservation of this species would require perfect knowledge of its genetic structure and mating system, so that populations that are rapidly losing genetic variability and those with unique genes or allele combinations are given priority status. Similarly, populations that tend to be genetically uniform can be conserved through representative samples. The knowledge of genetic structure and mating system of F. albida, coupled with a reconnaissance survey which maps the areas where it is presently found in east Africa, the type of ethno-botanical uses and the danger (s) each of these populations is undergoing would provide useful information necessary to design a meaningful conservation strategy for this species. The objectives of this proposal are: to conduct a survey to detect the areas where F. albida occur, document the ethno-botanical uses in different regions of east Africa and provide information regarding the potential and/real dangers to its existence. The second major objective is to use molecular and provenance trials to accurately determine the genetic variation and differentiation within and among populations off. albida in East Africa.
This research is expected to supplement the efforts of FAO, the International Plant genetic Resources Institute (IPGR1) , Kenya Forestry research Institute (KEFRJ) and International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) concerned with conservation of tree genetic resources. It is in line with the World Convention on Conservation of plant bio-diversity article passed in the Rio de Janeiro summit. More importantly, it is expected toirrest the loss of biodiversity in ASALs and to conserve the genetic diversity in F. albida which is an important tree species in dry environments. Maintenance of F. albida in ASALs provide the pastoralists with fodder for their livestock, fuel wood and it improves soil fertility and give them hope. At its conclusion this research is expected also to have collected germplasm of this species which can be shared with interested parties such as KEFR1 and ICRAF. And shall draw distribution map of this species in East Africa and propose conservation strategies that would prevent loss of genetic diversity in this important species.