a sustainable practice and doesn’t
in any way impact on the ecology
or wellbeing of baobabs, studies
show that the survival of baobab
populations is being threatened in
the long-term by environmental
degradation and climate change.
Impressively huge as baobabs are,
like all growing things they begin
very small and baobab seedlings
don’t survive easily these
days. Their tasty young tender
shoots get eaten up by livestock
such as goats, nor can they tolerate
drought at this young age so it’s
rare for a seedling to last the three
years it requires until reaching selfsufficiency in the wild.
This is what we’re doing
As a baobab ecologist with a doctorate in baobab sustainability, this
concerns me deeply. Ensuring the
survival of baobabs needs an integrated approach; one which incorporates both human needs and environmental variables. So with this
in mind I launched the Baobab
Guardians Programme – a unique
tree-planting program
.Our simple aim is to plant more
baobab trees in the arid area of
Venda where climate change and
livestock is affecting the survival of
young baobabs. We do this by involving rural women fruit collectors
and creating awareness of baobab
ecology and conservation in South
Africa.
How it works
Rural Venda women are given baobab seedlings to take care of in
their homes – they become Baobab
Guardians.
Once the seedlings reach 1 metre in
height, they are ready to be planted
out in the wild.
Each Baobab Guardian can decide
where to plant the tree, taking into
account proximity to the village (the
roots spread wide), how they will
protect the tree from browsing livestock such as goats, and ease of
watering and caretaking.
Each baobab tree is identified by its
GPS coordinates and its growth and
progress is monitored and recorded
annually by me.
Once the baobab seedling reaches 3
metres in height, it’s mature
enough to withstand livestock foraging and drought; it no longer
requires guardianship. This takes
approximately 3 years.
Baobab Guardians are rewarded
financially for each completed
stage.
I know it might seem strange to get
excited about something that will
only be visibly productive in the
next 200 years, but this is about
playing the long game, looking
much further into the future than
just the next 20 years. We want to
make sure baobabs will still be seen
in our landscapes for many thousands of years to come!
The Baobab Guardians Programme has been in existence since
November 2013 when the first pilot
was launched and seedlings were
planted. We’ve run training courses
and follow-up workshops with
groups of women and the process
has worked wonderfully! We now
have 5 baobab trees planted out in
the wild, being taken care of until
they are big enough to