In vitro Antimycobacterial Activity of Sterculia quinqueloba (Garcke) K. Schumand Canthium crassum Hiern

This research article published European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 2015Aim: To screen for the anti-mycobacterial activity of Canthium crassum and Sterculia quinqueloba using two mycobacteria species the Mycobacteria madagascariense and Mycobacteria indicuspranii. Study Design: In vitro assay of anti-mycobacterial assay was done using 96-well micro-dilution method. Place and Duration of Study: School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania, from April 2014 to June 2014. Methodology: 96-well-microtitre serial micro-dilution method was used to determine anti-mycobacteria activity to plant extracts. Results: All extracts exhibited anti-mycobacterial activity to both mycobacteria tested. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) ranged from 0.39 – 12.5 mg/mL, with ethyl acetate leaf extract of S. quinqueloba being the most active extracts with MIC value of 0.39 mg/mL against Mycobacteria madagascariense (MM) and 0.78 mg/mL against Mycobacteria indicuspranii (MIP). Petroleum ether and ethyl acetate leaf extract of C. crassum also gave MIC value of 0.78 mg/mL against MM and MIP. Conclusion: Findings from the present study showed that both plants exhibited activity against mycobacterium species tested. These plants may therefore serve as a source for new ant-mycobacterium drugs worth further studies including isolation and identification of the active compounds

Community-managed forests can secure forest regrowth and permanence in human-modified landscapes

Deforestation can impair ecosystem functions, reduce biodiversity, and accelerate climate change. One strategy proposed to decrease deforestation and promote recovery of degraded areas involves community management of forests: entrusting local communities to manage forest reserves. However, the effectiveness of this strategy remains poorly understood. Here, we assess the impact of community forest management in the Village Land Forest Reserves (VLFRs) of the Greater Gombe Ecosystem (GGE), Tanzania, using Landsat satellite images from multiple dates (2006, 2013, and 2021) to assess the extent to which 16 VLFRs promoted forest regrowth and permanence. We detected a 66 % forest cover increase in VLFRs but a 22 % decrease in identified areas not under any form of protection (unprotected area) in the village land. The Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) statistical analysis showed that assigning an area as a VLFR was associated with a 24.3 % forest-cover gain compared to unprotected village land (β = 0.243, SE = 0.0761, P<0.001). Patrolling by local community members, following village regulations, has a positive impact (β =0.04, 95% CI: [0.02, 0.06]) on promoting forest cover persistence. Nonetheless, of land reforested between 2006 and 2013 in the VLFRs, 11 % suffered re-clearing by 2021. Ensuring further forest regeneration and persistence of these reserves thus requires additional measures