Problems

Movie:Get a sense for life in Somalia

the light of knowledge is obscured by the branches

During our research we discovered several problems Frankincense faces. There are many social economic problems surrounding frankincense, but there are also ecological ones regarding lack of research, knowledge, etc. Ideally in order to tackle social problems regarding frankincense, a more comprehensive knowledge of the ecology and biology of the Boswellia family must first be understood. Without understanding the way the tree interacts with its environment, we cannot begin to draw holistic conclusions about its ethnobotany.

Included in these gaps is the issue of overlapping exports. Livestock is Somalia's largest export with bananas and frankincense falling in line behind. Because livestock is such an important aspect of Somali life it is not uncommon for local herds to graze freely. Ownership of Frankincense by Somali tribes or families reaches only as far as the trees and products; the land the trees are on is considered public property. This ownership system allows the animals to graze on the trees. This pressure exerted by the niche overlap may have a negative effect on the trees' annual gum yeild and reproduction. According to research overtapping and livestock are the reason these trees aren't regenerating (Farah, 1995). One study found supports this hypothesis:

"The most important outcome of the population structure study is the lack of regeneration. Out of five areas investigated regeneration was only found at two sites where trees were not tapped and which were not accessible to livestock...where viable seeds and are produced, seedlings and saplings are usually destroyed by livestock. Establishment of enclosures in which tapping and grazing is not allowed were found to be an effective measure to promote natural regeneration (Ogbazghi)."

Livestock eat new growth and leaves from the trees. A less prominant issue is that bark from the trees is used for tanning hides and sterilizing cookingware. From life history theory, it makes sense that if the tree has to spend more of its energy on maintanence than it cannot spend as much time on reproduction.

A subsequent problem that effects regeneration and growth is overharvesting. Although the extent of it's effect is questionable the existing evidence supports that overharvesting has a negative impact on the trees health. Merchant pressure on harvesters promotes an increase in harvesting in order to meet this demand. The need to make a living creates enough motivation to give into this merchant pressure. "...Prices for Somali frankincense have plummeted as the international frankincense trade appears now to be heavily controlled by powerful merchant cartels (Progressive Interventions)." While this leads to economic problems, an overlooked issue is the ecological problems this poses for the trees. A solution must be found so that Somali harvesters are not forced to overharvest their trees. Overtapping seems to have a more pronounced effect during the dry season. "intensive annual tapping throughout the dry season leads to low production of non-viable seeds (Ogbazghi)." Also suggested in several texts is that trees having easiest harvesting access are the ones suffering the most from this problem (SEPASAL). To counteract overharvesting measures must be taken to educate those Somali workers who have direct control over the trees' health.

The most prevalent problem presently is the lack of information on the ecology of the frankincense tree. Holes in the present body of knowledge includes the need for scientific studies on the root systems of Boswellia on different substrates and consequential yields, seedling development and regeneration, and the species density and relative abundance (FAO, 1995) in the Somalia. Because the Boswellia family includes many endemic species in Somalia This information is hard to gather because of the lack of research incentive, money, and lack of accessibility by outside organizations. In this instance specifically, information is expensive because surveys are difficult on trees so widespread (FAO, 1995). An example of an issue that needs to be studied is whether there is a difference in resin yield from continuously tapped trees opposed to those that have been allowed a rest period. In addition to ecological knowledge, the present scale of production of frankincense resins is even unknown, since many somali households use an unknown amount of gums in addition to the amount that is exported (FAO, 1995). If the present scale of production is known, then this may help promote a better understanding of the importance of Frankincense in Somali society. This is turn could encourage the filling in of existing gaps in ecological information.

During this process we encountered several problems that need to be addressed; the issue of livestock grazing on trees and the lack of ecological knowledge both containing several subissues. In addition there are even social issues, such as the need for an international standard for quality of distilled oils, a need for "value added processing" within Somalia to help the local economy (FAO, 1995), and a better, safer method for transporting gums when harvesting (Progressive Interventions). A commonality among all of these problems is a general lack of information. While a more extensive knowledge of the tree is needed to create a specific solution for these problems, education of the harvesters and herders about the trees' ecology and would be a first step toward sustainable harvesting and production of gums.