Socio–economic Benefits and the Associated Environmental Degradation Effects of Osyris lanceolata (Hochst & Steudel) Utilization in Kitui County, Kenya

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the utilization and socio–economic benefits of Osyris lanceolata (The East African Sandalwood) in Kitui County, Kenya. Data was collected using questionnaires and analysed using SPSS version 20. A total of 120 respondents were interviewed. The results revealed that 78% of the respondents were aware of existence of O. lanceolata plants in their region. From these respondents there were two main uses of O. lanceolata wood products which included; medicinal and perfumery oil production. The main purpose of harvesting O. lanceolata was mainly for commercial use (44.2%), with little use for domestic purposes (16.7%). The major beneficiaries of O. lanceolata business were the manufacturers reported by 45% of the respondents, followed by middlemen as reported by 30% of the respondents. The least beneficiaries were the harvesters from the wild and the transporters reported by 17.5% and 5.8% of the respondents respectively. Majority of the respondents (51.7%) reported that the main customers for O. lanceolata were the pharmaceutical companies followed by 29.2% who reported that it was perfume and cosmetic companies. There was significant Pearson correlation between socio-economic benefits (r=0.781, P< 0.01), usage knowledge (r=0.744, P< 0.01) and distribution (r=0.666 P< 0.01), with the harvesting trends of O. lanceolata from the wild. The study concluded that socio-economic benefits associated with O. lanceolata are contributing to its over-exploitation from the wild, thus calling for multifaceted interventions to minimize loss of this invaluable plant species from the wild.