Current knowledge and future prospects on the declining Uvaria chamae P. Beauv in sub-Saharan Africa: A global systematic review for its sustainable management

Uvaria chamae P. Beauv is known as a key shrub species providing several goods and services for sustaining livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its great medicinal importance for local communities, little is known about its conservation status and sustainable management strategies regarding the current overex-ploitation of the species' fruits through traditional agroforestry systems. Here, we addressed a global system-atic review of the current state of knowledge on several aspects of research of U. chamae for setting further breeding programmes and conservation initiatives. A total of 744 publications were identified based on the extensive bibliometric review of its sustainable management and conservation status over the last three dec-ades (1991-2021) through existing online databases. Only 257 publications were finally included in the cur-rent review after deep scrutinization which were in line with several aspects of the conservation ecology and management of U. chamae in Africa. All retained papers came globally from the five sub-regions, and particu-larly 13 countries in Africa. Most of them were recorded in West Africa (n = 245) compared to the other sub-regions where few studies exist on this intensively harvested shrub species. Approximately 89% of the retained publications came from five of West African countries including Nigeria (n = 151), Benin (n = 30), Cote d'Ivoire (n = 18), Guinea (n = 16), and Togo (n = 14). In-depth bibliometric analysis revealed critical knowledge gaps on U. chamae in terms of its geographic distribution; conservation status; tree growth, pro-ductivity and propagation; morphological diversity; molecular genetic diversity; reproductive biology; eco-physiological performances; socio-economic importance; biochemical analysis; and structural characterization. The current review paves the way for developing further long-term management programs of U. chamae in Africa.(c) 2022 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Uvaria chamae is a key shrub species in Sub-Saharan Africa that provides various goods and services for local communities. However, there is limited knowledge about its conservation status and sustainable management strategies. This systematic review addresses the current state of research on U. chamae, identifying knowledge gaps and providing a basis for breeding programs and conservation initiatives.