My skin is connected to these trees

The first time I saw a Baobab Tree was in Lochinvar National Park in southern Zambia in my early teens while on holiday with my family. I was blown away. I returned to the same park in my early 30s to do my PhD within the area on wetlands but also just to get yet another glimpse of these intriguing, gigantic and beautiful trees across the landscape that had left such a lasting impression on me.

Over six years ago, when I announced to my network of sister friends that I was pregnant – my west African sisters were quick to share their gifts and tips on what was best for my expanding belly: Shea (Karité in Wolof) butter and baobab oil. These creams and oils have been their ancestral secret to avoiding stretch marks – the results were remarkable and true to their word – NO stretch marks even after babies!! I have also been using cold pressed Baobab oil for my mostly my face and body over the years. 

A few weeks ago at a conference in Kyrgyzstan a young lady came up to me and complimented me saying, “I am so impressed to see such a young African woman with amazing experience on environmental issues. You are in your early 30s right?” I laughed so hard and thanked her for the compliment and just said, “Young lady I am closer to 50 than to 30.” She almost screamed and I informed her that I used natural oils for my skin particularly baobab oil as an anti-aging but also blessed with good genes. She went on to inform me that she had never seen a baobab tree before. I showed her a picture of what it looked like on my phone. She was totally in awe. As a scientist, I know that my skin is the largest organ and so I take care of it rather seriously.

I once bought the most delicious organic body cream many year ago and its base scent: Vanilla. 

What connects my skin and these delightful creams and oils are the trees they come from. For millennia trees species across Africa have provided communities not only with food and medicines but also amazing skin products. These products have been at the center of many cultural and traditional ceremonies. These natural products are now being used by the likes of international make-up companies such as Body Shop, L’Oreal to mention but a few. As such these trees are intimately connected to the very existence of Africans. The endemic tree species like Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) and Baobab (genus – Adansonia) only grow in rather narrow ecological zones across the continent. 

My intent in this write up is to shed a little light on why these tree species matter, in particular the Shea and Baobab trees that I am more familiar with and how their fragile landscapes are changing with the implications for the local communities and wildlife that depend on them. 

Vanilla: The vanilla plant originally from Meso-America is now widely grown in Madagascar and a kilogram of vanilla pods can fetch up to $500 if not more (same price as a similar weight of silver). 

Shea: The Shea tree grows within the Sudo-Sahelien narrow range that stretches from West Africa into the horn of Africa. Tree nurturing and the processing of the butter from its nuts is mostly if not predominantly undertaken by women. The university of Oregon a few years ago shared results from an anthropological study that discovered that the use of the shea plant and its products date back to 100 AD if not earlier. A tradition of its use that spans hundreds of years with traditional techniques passed on from one generation to another. The shea butter has found its way in many products of international cosmetics companies – all sourcing from the African continent. 

Baobab: This giant of a tree outlives humans!! Baobab trees first flower at the tender age of 200 years – yes YOU heard me right. Its’ fruit, seeds, bark and roots have been used for hundreds of years by local communities and wildlife such as elephants across Africa, with the tree growing mostly in the driest parts of Africa. The seed oil for example has a nearly perfect balance of palmitic, ileic and linoleic fatty acids making is an ideal skin care oil. The baobab powder has six times Vitamin C compared to that of oranges and most health stores in Europe and North America now label it now as a super food (rich in nutrients and mainly pant based). More recently a study showed the nine out of the thirteen-baobab species have started to die-off and researchers have speculated as to why this is happening without concrete know-how. This indeed is worrying. One of the speculations is related to the extreme drought events within the arid areas where they exist. 

 As a child of the African continent and having travelled extensively across this beautiful and amazing place we call home – the levels of degradation in many forested ecosystems are shocking to say the least. The endemic tree species – baobab and shea – are already disappearing in some parts of Africa. These trees grow in some of the most arid and fragile zones of the continent that are facing threats due to extreme weather events, ecosystem degradation due to deforestation and as such, are very vulnerable. People across the continent and the world over have benefited in many ways from these trees however most don’t even realise that they are disappearing fast. Just check out the price of Baobab powder on the shelf of any health store in London, New York or Berlin.

A week ago at a dinner party as I spoke to a lovely lady I had sat next to, she asked me why my skin was so smooth. I told her I have been using baobab oil for a while now and her response actually surprised and warmed my heart:

 “You know what Musonda, the Baobab is a tree that outlives humans, having seen the passing of the stars, taken in the heat of the sun and light of many moons at different times only to mature into something that’s truly healing and nurturing.” 

I couldn’t agree more and we need not take this for granted at all. 

On the 1st and 2nd of December, many landscape experts and practitioners will be meeting in Bonn, Germany at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF-Bonn 2018) and this year’s theme is “Connecting Impact: From Commitment to Action.” Many African Governments across the continent have made commitments to restore some of the degraded forest landscapes where these amazing tree species have thrived. 

What’s needed now is real action bearing in mind that many people and other species have depended on these trees for their very livelihoods, survival and that could be lost quicker than we think with terrible implications and consequences.

Join us through our digital platforms to share your thoughts on how best we can collectively abate these problems.  Link: https://events.globallandscapesforum.org/bonn-2018/. 

Photo Credits: Picture 1 (By Gregoire Dubois - Baobab Tree in Zambia), Picture 2 & 3 (Shea Tree in West Africa & Woman carrying shea nuts - source internet), Picture 4 (Vanilla Vine growing on tree in Madagascar - Gregoire Dubois), Picture 5 (Raw Shea Butter - source internet), Picture 6 (Baobab Tree under the stars in South Luangwa, Zambia - by Will Burrard-Lucas).

The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of UN Environment.