Food tree species selection for nutrition-sensitive forest landscape restoration in Burkina Faso

Modern food systems push agriculture to focus on a small number of commercial crops, while there is a very large diversity of untapped edible plants that could be used to address food security and nutrition. Poor and monotonous diets are closely linked to the complex burden of multiple forms of malnutrition and dietary risk. In some contexts, such as West Africa, micronutrient deficiency risks are particularly pronounced. Hence, there is an urgent need to provide people with healthy diets supported by sustainable food systems. Within this context, using nutrition-sensitive forest landscape restoration to combat environmental degradation could contribute towards ensuring the year-round availability of nutritious tree-based food

Effects of climate and land use on herbaceous species richness and vegetation composition in west african savanna ecosystems

West African Savanna ecosystems are undergoing severe changes in their vegetation composition due to the impact of human land use and changes in climatic conditions. This study aims to examine the effect of climate, land use, and their interaction on species richness and composition of West African herbaceous vegetation. Plot based vegetation sampling was done in Burkina Faso. Specific richness and diversity indices were used to determine the effect of land use, climate, and their interaction. An importance value was computed to determine herbaceous species dominating the communities. Frequency of species is used to examine their distribution pattern. The results showed that climate significantly influenced herbaceous specific richness more than land use. However, land use had a significant effect on herbaceous vegetation composition. Herbaceous species diversity changed with environmental conditions. The floristic composition of dominant species is driven by both climate and land use. The frequency of distribution demonstrated that herbaceous species occurrences were more influenced by the mixed effect of climate and land use than their separate effects. Occasional and rare species are the most important part of herbaceous vegetation. Thus heterogeneity of Savanna ecosystem and vulnerability of herbaceous species are high

Local perception of the current state and threat factors of a critically endangered species, Celtis toka (Forssk.) Hepper & J.R.I. Wood, in Burkina Faso: implications for species conservation

Celtis toka, the only species of the genus Celtis (family Cannabaceae) encountered in the flora of Burkina Faso, is critically endangered in the country. To engage the public for the future conservation and domestication of the species, knowledge of the factors threatening Celtis toka survival is necessary. Thus, the study objective was to identify the perceptions of local people concerning the current state and conservation strategies of Celtis toka in Burkina Faso. To investigate potential solutions to the threats posed to Celtis toka, we randomly surveyed 405 consenting participants using a selected semi-structured interview. Moreover, field observations were performed to assess the threat drivers cited by local people of the Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian climatic zones. Descriptive analyses (relative frequency and fidelity level) and generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to highlight the impact of sociodemographic factors and climate zones on the current state, threat drivers, and potential solutions. The chi-square test was used to assess whether to plant C. toka. GLM analyses revealed that local knowledge about the current state, threat factors and potential solution to the threat as related to natural stand varied significantly according to ethnolinguistic group (P < 0.000), sex (P = 0.01) and age (P = 0.01). Rural people had varying perceptions of the current state of C. toka. Sixty-eight percent reported a decrease in population, ten percent reported scarcity, and five percent reported extinction. The views of local people were that the factors affecting C. toka were pruning (25%), climate change (14%), deforestation (10%), ageing (10%), debarking (9%), and agriculture (7%). Potential solutions included planting (45%), conservation of C. toka and its habitat (27%), sustainable use of Celtis toka (14%), promotion of education and awareness about Celtis toka (10%) and tree/crop association (5%). The study concluded that the ethnobotanical knowledge of Celtis toka may play an important role in its conservation and domestication in Burkina Faso. Furthermore, its incorporation into reforestation and restoration programs is critical to species survival

Ethnobotany and conservation of the species Celtis toka (Forssk.) Hepper & J.R.I. wood: A way forward for sustainable use in Burkina Faso

Celtis toka (C. toka), a critically endangered mystical plant, is a highly valued and overharvested multiuse tree species by local population in Burkina Faso. The ethnobotany of C. toka can lead to its sustainable use, therefore it is a great challenge because little information is available on this aspect concerning the species in Burkina Faso as well as in Africa. Thus, this study aims to assess the sustainable use and management of C. toka in Burkina Faso.The study was conducted along a climate gradient (Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian climatic zones) in Burkina Faso. Data were collected randomly through selected semi-structured interviews with 405 informants (148 women and 257 men) randomly selected from 34 villages and 25 ethnolinguistic groups. Frequency of citation was computed. Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney test and Generalized Linear Models analyses were performed to determine whatever information varied according to site and socio-demographic parameters.Among eight use categories, food (27.89%), livestock (18.97%), shade (16.23%), and pharmacopeia (14.92%) were the most recorded. Leaves (63.83%), roots (19.20%), and bark (17.11%) were the most valued plant parts. All plant parts were used to heal 29 ailments in 37 ways. The most common diseases treated by C. toka were vitamin deficiencies (FL = 8.84%), malaria (FL = 8.44%), cast (FL = 5.84%), madness (FL = 3.25%), eye ache (FL = 2.77%) and yellow fever (FL = 2.60%). Sacred forests (39%) and protected areas (27%) were the key biotopes of C. toka. Value of C. toka was well-treasured in the study sites. The frequency of citation of some use patterns and plant parts varied significantly across some ethnolinguistic groups, sex and generation levels (p < 0.05). Management such as sowing (0%), seedling transplantation (0%) and assisted natural regeneration (0%) were lacking. Sacred (37.99%), taboo (25.04%), mystic (11.62%), magic (10.28%) fetish (8.96%) and medico-magic (6.12%) characters of C. toka determined the traditional conservation strategies of the species in Burkina Faso.Our results recommend that the conservation policies and sustainable use of C. toka should be prioritized. Furthermore, studies should thus emphasize the domestication potential of C. toka for its plant parts

Characteristics of HIV-2 and HIV-1/HIV-2 Dually Seropositive Adults in West Africa Presenting for Care and Antiretroviral Therapy: The IeDEA-West Africa HIV-2 Cohort Study.

HIV-2 is endemic in West Africa. There is a lack of evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis, management and antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-2 or HIV-1/HIV-2 dual infections. Because of these issues, we designed a West African collaborative cohort for HIV-2 infection within the framework of the International epidemiological Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA).We collected data on all HIV-2 and HIV-1/HIV-2 dually seropositive patients (both ARV-naive and starting ART) and followed-up in clinical centres in the IeDEA-WA network including a total of 13 clinics in five countries: Benin, Burkina-Faso Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal, in the West Africa region.Data was merged for 1,754 patients (56% female), including 1,021 HIV-2 infected patients (551 on ART) and 733 dually seropositive for both HIV-1 and HIV 2 (463 on ART). At ART initiation, the median age of HIV-2 patients was 45.3 years, IQR: (38.3-51.7) and 42.4 years, IQR (37.0-47.3) for dually seropositive patients (p = 0.048). Overall, 16.7% of HIV-2 patients on ART had an advanced clinical stage (WHO IV or CDC-C). The median CD4 count at the ART initiation is 166 cells/mm(3), IQR (83-247) among HIV-2 infected patients and 146 cells/mm(3), IQR (55-249) among dually seropositive patients. Overall, in ART-treated patients, the CD4 count increased 126 cells/mm(3) after 24 months on ART for HIV-2 patients and 169 cells/mm(3) for dually seropositive patients. Of 551 HIV-2 patients on ART, 5.8% died and 10.2% were lost to follow-up during the median time on ART of 2.4 years, IQR (0.7-4.3).This large multi-country study of HIV-2 and HIV-1/HIV-2 dual infection in West Africa suggests that routine clinical care is less than optimal and that management and treatment of HIV-2 could be further informed by ongoing studies and randomized clinical trials in this population