Baobab tree deaths linked to climate change in Africa

Some of Africa's oldest baobab trees are dying due to climate change, researchers have suggested
Getty Images
Lucia Binding12 June 2018

The demise of some of southern Africa’s oldest and biggest baobab trees have been linked to climate change, researchers have suggested.

The trees – aged between 1,100 and 2,500 years – are located in Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia.

They have died completely, or partly, according to a study published in the journal Nature Plants.

Nine of the oldest 13 baobab trees and five of the six biggest ones are dying or have died over the past 12 years, researchers found.

“We report that nine of the 13 oldest … individuals have died, or at least their oldest parts/stems have collapsed and died, over the past 12 years,” they wrote.

Baobab trees can grow as wide as a bus and up to 30 metres long
AFP/Getty Images

The study described the tree deaths as “an event of an unprecedented magnitude”.

Co-author Adrian Patrut of the Babes-Bolyai University in Romania said: “It is definitely shocking and dramatic to experience during our lifetime the demise of so many trees with millennial ages.”

The exact cause of the die-off remains unknown but it is suspected that the "demise of monumental baobabs may be associated at least in part with significant modifications of climate conditions that affect southern Africa in particular”.

Baobab fruit has become a superfood in recent years

Further research needs to be done “to support or refute this supposition," they added.

In the study, researchers probed and dated nearly all known large and old African baobabs between 2005 and 2017.

They collated data on girth, height wood volume and age, noting that the majority of the oldest and biggest trees died during the study period.

The tree can typically live to be 3,000 years old, and is the biggest and longest-living flowering tree.

It is often referred to as the “tree of life” for its ability to produce nutrient-rich fruit even during Africa’s dry season, and can grow as wide as the length of a bus and up to 30 metres high.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in