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Use and Cultural Significance of Raphia Palms

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Abstract

The genus Raphia (Palmae / Arecaceae) contains 22 species and represents a major multiuse resource across tropical Africa and Madagascar. Raphia species provide goods that range from food to construction material and medicine. Its species play a vital cultural role in African societies. Despite its importance, the taxonomy, ecology, and ethnobotany of this genus remain poorly understood. Here, we review the multiplicity of uses, products and cultural importance of Raphia species across its distribution. We provide a near exhaustive list of all products derived from Raphia species, classified by species and major use categories. We record nearly 100 different uses, traded and commercialized at local, regional, and national levels. Most species have several uses. Raphia wine is the most important product, followed by grubs and fiber extraction. Our review improves our understanding of the uses and cultural importance of Raphia species. If Raphia resources are managed responsibly, they will contribute to alleviate poverty, fight against hunger and conserve tropical biodiversity, especially in Africa.

Résumé

Le genre Raphia (Palmae / Arecaceae) comprend 22 espèces et représente une ressource multi-usage majeure en Afrique tropicale et Madagascar. Les espèces de Raphia fournissent des produits allant des aliments aux matériaux de construction, en passant par les médicaments. Ses espèces jouent un rôle culturel vital dans les sociétés africaines. Malgré son importance, la taxonomie, l’écologie et l’ethnobotanique de ce genre restent mal comprises. Nous examinons ici la multiplicité des usages des produits et de l’importance culturelle des espèces de Raphia dans toute leur distribution. Nous fournissons une liste presque exhaustive de tous les produits dérivés des espèces de Raphia, classés par espèce et par principales catégories d’utilization. Nous enregistrons près de 100 utilisations différentes, commercialisées au niveau local, régional et national. La plupart des espèces ont plusieurs utilisations. Le vin de Raphia est le produit le plus important, suivi de l’extraction des vers et de la fibre. Notre revue améliore la compréhension des utilisations et de l’importance culturelle des espèces de Raphia. Si les ressources de Raphia sont gérées de manière responsable, elles contribueront à réduire la pauvreté, à lutter contre la faim et à préserver la biodiversité tropicale, en particulier en Afrique.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Agropolis Fondation (RAPHIA project) under the reference ID 1403-026 through the « Investissements d’avenir » program (Labex Agro:ANR-10-LABX-0001-01), under the frame of I-SITE MUSE (ANR-16-IDEX-0006) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (grant number ANR-15-CE02-0002-01), both to TLPC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Suzanne Mogue Kamga & Bonaventure Sonké

  2. Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Grischa Brokamp

  3. IRD, DIADE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Ariane Cosiaux & Thomas L. P. Couvreur

  4. Center for International Forestry Research, C/o IITA Humid Forest Ecoregional Center, B.P. 2008, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Abdon Awono

  5. UMR 7206 Éco-anthropologie, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France

    Susanne Fürniss

  6. Department of Biosciences, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Anders S. Barfod

  7. Living Forest Trust (LIFT), Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), c/o P. O Box, 1857, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Fogoh John Muafor

  8. Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportement & Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Sud (Université Paris-Saclay), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Philippe Le Gall

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Mogue Kamga, S., Brokamp, G., Cosiaux, A. et al. Use and Cultural Significance of Raphia Palms. Econ Bot 74, 207–225 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-020-09487-z

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