PEMBA PALM

Common Name:            Pemba Palm
Scientific Name:            Dypsis pembana

Why is this species important? 

The Pemba Palm (Dypsis pembana) is a narrow endemic, found only on Pemba Island, Tanzania. The species, which is thought to have a population of fewer than 3,000, is mainly confined to small forest patches in the North of the island, such as the 1,975 ha Ngezi Vumawimbi Forest Reserve.

Where is it found?

The species is found only on Pemba, a 920 km2 island lying 50km off the coast of Tanzania. On the island it is restricted to small areas of remaining forest, mainly in the North of the country.

Pemba was separated from mainland Africa about 10 million years ago, resulting in the evolution of a number of species and subspecies of both flora and fauna endemic to the island.

Why is it threatened?

With a human population of 363,000, pressure on natural resources on Pemba is high and a large proportion of the forest on the island has been destroyed or badly degraded.

Threats include forest fires, uncontrolled timber extraction, small scale agricultural expansion, commercial logging, cardamom and clove plantations, unsustainable exploitation for medicine, fuel wood and poles and colonisation by the invasive species Maesopsis eminii, which was introduced to the area in the early 1960s.

The Pemba Palm is found principally in forest patches in the North of the country, such as the Ngezi Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve (1,975 ha), Msitu Mkuu Forest Reserve (300 ha) and Ras Kiuyu Forest (< 200 ha). All are surrounded by villages and are under continued pressure.

What conservation action is needed?

Little is known about the Palm and its habitat so surveys and monitoring of existing populations are important to provide a basis for the conservation management of the species.

Reducing threats to the species will be essential to its future survival. Improved management of forest fires, eradication of the invasive Maesopsis eminii and awareness raising in local communities of the importance of the species are especially important. Tree nurseries, established and managed within local communities, will provide Pemba Palm seedlings to reinforce the wild population. These nurseries will also allow local people to grow fruit and timber trees, reducing collection pressure on forest resources.

The Global Trees Campaign began work to conserve the Pemba Palm in early 2009. Read more on the news page.

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