Challenges to the conservation and sustainable management of Garcinia kola Heckel in the context of climate change: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

The knowledge on the conservation and sustainable management of Garcinia kola Heckel in the face of climate change is synthesized. Data was collected from peer-reviewed studies in Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and PubMed databases. A total of 55 articles were included, seven of which were for a meta-analysis on seed germination. The reviews showed that G. kola was subject to constant pressures, including unsustainable harvesting and the negative impacts of climate change on its growth and distribution. Local communities adopted a variety of harvesting techniques driven by cultural practices and economic incentives, some using destructive methods, particularly in forested areas. Seeds exhibited combinatorial dormancy. They were sensitive to desiccation and rapidly lost their viability under standard storage conditions. Traditional storage methods, such as refrigeration, proved ineffective for G. kola seeds. The optimum storage temperature for maintaining seed viability was around 25 ± 5°C, which enabled humidity to be adjusted above a critical threshold, thus improving germination. In contrast, refrigeration at 4°C resulted in very low germination, 0 to 23.33% after five months. Soaking seeds in various concentrations of gibberellic acid resulted in germination above 60%, although higher concentrations reduced this rate. We recommend developing educational programs, setting up cooperatives implementing sustainable harvesting regulations, and community-researcher collaborations. Overall, the research highlights the urgent need for a holistic approach that values traditional ecological knowledge while promoting sustainable practices for the preservation of G. kola and its vital role among local cultures and economies in the context of changing environmental conditions.