INTRODUCTION
Main Non-Wood Forest Products
The main non-wood forest products (NWFP) of Yemen are honey and fodder.
Other NWFP include edible plants (e.g. fruits such as Ziziphus spina-christi), ornamental plants (Begonia socotrana), medicinal plants, colorants (e.g. henna), resins (e.g. Euphorbia arbuscula)and utensils (e.g. fish traps).
In addition, a variety of multipurpose trees integrated in agroforestry systems are used for consumptive and ecological functions (e.g. shelter belts).
General information
Several traditional agroforestry systems exist in the different ecological zones of Yemen. These systems represent a form of integration of woody species with crop cultivation or animal rearing, which increases overall revenue and protects soil productivity. The indigenous species most commonly used in these traditional agroforestry systems are: Acacia negrii, A. tortilis, Cordia abyssinica, Dobera glavra, Ficus vasta, Tamarix nilotica, and Zizyphus spina-christi. Tamarix nilotica and Zizyphus spina-christi, although not indigenous species, are also widely used.
Recently, the Yemenite farmers have started to introduce fast growing exotic species used as shelterbelts and for the fixation of sand dunes in Tihama and Maareb. The most commonly used exotic species are: Azadirachta indica, Cononcarpus lancifolius, Melia azedaracht, Parkinsonia aculeata, Prosopis chiliensis, and Prosopis juliflora (Nahhal, 1989).
PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS
Food
Yemen's vegetation is an important food resource, providing a valuable nutritional supplement to an otherwise rather restricted diet.
Important fruits are provided by Ziziphus sp., Sterculia sp. (large fruits are collected and their sizeable kernels extracted), Tamarindus indica (offering vitamin-rich fruits which are very popular in Yemen), Ficus sp.; Rhus sp.; and Cordia sp. (RBGE, 2000).
Fodder
Even more important as the search for wild foods is the provision of fodder for livestock. Many Yemenite households depend on livestock production and great efforts are expended on procuring fodder for animals.
Cattle represent a high labor investment for their owners. In bad years, herders are compelled to cover vast areas in search of foliage to carry home for their famished beasts as a substitute for the grazing which has withered and died. Sterculia is an important drought fodder. The herder climbs up into the crown of the tree and cuts off the long, curly leaves. Another good fodder for cattle is the foliage of Boswellia ameero: in the areas where it grows in profusion, its leaves are the main constituents of livestock drought fodder. The Dragon's Blood tree, Dracaena cinnabari, retains its spiky leaves throughout the severest drought, and these are lopped off and then roughly chopped to fracture the tough outer casing and reveal the edible fibrous material within. This tree also produces a multitude of berries, which are collected and carried home in sacks to feed to livestock. Other species provide valuable feed for cows, one in particular, Commiphora soqotrana, is noteworthy since it provides besides a rich foliage, a liquid which can be extracted from its bast or underbark which can be given to young livestock as a substitute for milk.
In the dry season, goats are fed on the foliage of Acacia, Carphalea, various Commiphora, Grewia and Vernonia among others. In periods of drought, goats too are fed on Dracaena leaves.
Medicines
In Yemen, various plants are used traditionally for medicinal purposes. Examples include Jatropha unicostata (liquid used as antiseptic), Commiphora socotrana (liquid derived from bark used as antiseptic, twigs are used as tooth stick), and Euphorbia arbuscula (latex used to treat skin complaints) (RBGE, 2001).
Dying and tanning
The dried leaf of Lawsonia inermis provides a dye called Henna that can range in color from black to red through to blonde. Lawsonia inermis is a shrub or small tree, indigenous to the area between the Islamic Republic of Iran and northern India and introduced widely throughout the tropics and subtropics. From ancient times, henna has been employed as a cosmetic dye for hair, skin and nails and has acquired a particular significance in Islamic culture. More recently, there has been an increase in its usage as a hair dye in Western Europe and North America. Prior to the widespread availability of synthetic dyestuffs, henna was also employed as a dye for textiles and leather (FAO, 1995a).
Some 9 000t of dried leaves are traded worldwide per year. Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa have a domestic production of henna but require supplementation by imports. The largest individual importer in this region is Saudi Arabia (approximately 3 000 tonnes). The main suppliers to the Middle East market are India and Pakistan. Yemen is considered as smaller producer (FAO 1995).
Utensils, handicrafts and construction material
The whippy slim branches of Flueggea are woven into fish traps; Tamarindus or Grewia wood is fashioned into intricate but strong locks, while a paste of Daemia or Pergularia removes the hair from skins and hides (RBGE, 2001).
Exudates
Dracaena cinnabari, the "Dragon's Blood Tree", provides a red colored resin, which is used as medicine, dye or ornamental. Domestic consumption in Yemen, where dragon's blood is popular as a traditional medicine, is difficult to estimate. Resin from plants growing in Yemen are not believed to enter world trade. Dealers quoted US$33/kg for No. 1 grade and US$5/kg for No. 2 grade, both of Middle Eastern origin (FAO, 1995b).
Exudation can be induced by boiling chunks of bark and underbark in a little water and then crushing them to a paste which is spread out on a flat rock surface to cool and dry. The resin most appreciated on the Soqotra Island, however, is that which exudes naturally from the tree itself when it comes into flower. It can only be collected by climbing into the tree and picking off the droplets where they have oozed from the base of the flowering shoots (RBGE, 2000).
ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS
Honey and beeswax
One of the most important NWFP of Yemen is bee honey of which the country produces several natural varieties, depending on which tree the bees feed. The most famous of these varieties is the Siddr or Elb (Zizyphus sp.) honey followed by Samur honey from Acacia tortilis.
Bee honey is accorded high official interest in Yemen by virtue of its socio-economic and nutritive value. The interest is reflected in the various studies conduced on the producer bees, pollen sources, honey varieties, the economics, packing, export and constraints thereof.
The main findings of these studies show that (Costin, 1990):
· Of the recorded 40 000 colonies in Yemen most are found in Lahaj and Hadramawt, mainly of the yellow strains (Apis spp.).
· The most famous Yemeni honey is the "Dwani and Jurdani" produced from Zizyphus. The price of 1 kg of this honey can exceed Yd50 (US$100).
· Yemen may produce up to 5 000 tonnes per year, which is mainly exported to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States and the revenues from these exports reaches approximately US$40 million per year.
REFERENCES
Costin, E. 1990. Arid Zones Examples of Shelterbelt Establishment and Management, FAO. Yemen
El Gack, N.E., Ugool, M.E.M. 1993. Socio-economic Study on Rural Women and Natural Forests: Case Study of Jebel Bura, Yemen. FAO Forestry Development Project (GCP/YEM/015/SWI)
Ellatifi, M. 1993. Forestry nurseries and agroforestry Expert, GCP/YEM/015/SWI.
FAO. 1995a. Colourants and dyestuffs by C.L. Green. Non-wood forest products No. 4, Rome.
FAO. 1995b. Gums, resins and latexes of plant origin. by J.J.W. Coppen. Non-wood forest products No. 6, Rome.
Herzog, M. 1997. Forests in Yemen: A short guide for tourists.
Nahal, I.1989. L'Agroforesterie et les Possibilités de la Developer en République Arabe Yemenite. (GCP/YEM/015/SWI).
RBGE (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) Home. 2001. Plants and People/Soqotra. Internet: www.rbge.org.uk/Arabia/Soqtra, viewed on 14 May 2001.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This report has been realized in the context of the FAO Forest Resource Assessment 2000. The content is mainly based on available information at FAO Headquarters in Rome, and on information collected by Ms Sabra, American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Additional information was provided by Mr. Martin Herzog, The Yemeni American League (YAL).
Additional information on NWFP in Yemen would appreciated and duly acknowledged.
QUANTITATIVE DATA ON NWFP OF YEMEN
Product |
Resource |
Economic value |
||||||||
Category |
Impor-tance |
Trade name Generic term |
Species |
Part used |
Habitat |
Source |
Destination |
Quantity, value |
Remarks |
References |
1, 2, 3 |
F, P, O |
W, C |
N, I |
|||||||
Animals and animal products | ||||||||||
Honey, beeswax |
1 |
Ziziphus sp. |
ho |
W,C |
N,I |
Annual production of 5 000t and annual export revenue worth US$40 million |
Costin, 1990 |
Importance: 1- high importance on the national level; 2 - high importance on the local/regional level; 3 - low importance
Part used: an - entire animal; ba - bark; bw - beeswax; le - leaves; nu - nuts; fi - fibres; fl - flowers; fr - fruits; gu - gums; ho - honey; la - latex; oi - oil; pl - entire plant; re - resins; ro - roots; sa - sap; se - seeds; st - stem; ta - tannins
Habitat: F - natural forest or other wooded lands; P - plantation; O - Others: Trees outside forests (e.g. agroforestry, homegardens)
Source: W - wild, C - cultivated
Destination: N - national; I - international