Many of Africa's largest and oldest baobabs have died within a short space of time. This is the alarm raised by researchers, who suspect climate change is responsible.
The baobab is a somewhat… upside-down tree. Looking at it, it seems inverted, planted the wrong way round. It can live for thousands of years and develop trunks so large that they can accommodate up to 40 people inside. It is a one-of-a-kind plant, a symbol of African culture, and known as the tree of life. Its fruit is packed with vitamin C, but its bark and roots are also rich in properties that are beneficial to our bodies. Elephants are particularly fond of it, spending hours in the shade of its great branches, as are baboons, the endearing galagos, and the various bird species that nest in its boughs.
Read also: Cos'è il galagone, la misteriosa proscimmia africana
Despite being so long-lived and extraordinarily resilient — it grows new bark every time an elephant damages it — the tree of life is dying. Over the past 12 years, 9 of the 13 oldest baobabs in the world have collapsed, or the greater part of their structure has. The same fate has befallen 5 of the 6 largest trees. They were located in Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, and all were more than a thousand years old: the sacred baobab of Panke was even more than 2,500 years old. The majestic Sunland baobab, famous for the bar built inside it, has also died.
These are the data collected by an international research team led by Professor Adrian Patrut of Babes-Bolyai University in Romania and published in the journal Nature plants. Since 2005, the researchers have visited southern Africa to study the region's baobabs — their structure, age and state of health.
The causes of what they describe as "an event of unprecedented magnitude" remain uncertain, but the scientists are convinced that an epidemic is not to blame. "Statistically speaking, it is virtually impossible for such a large number of big, old baobabs to die in such a short space of time from natural causes," adds Patrut.
Rather, the culprits behind the mass die-off could be climate change, in particular rising temperatures and drought: "The largest trees are the most vulnerable because they need greater quantities of water and nutrients," the professor explains.
Further research is needed to confirm the team's hypothesis, but a study published in Biological conservation has already highlighted how climate change will be harmful to two of the three species of baobab in Madagascar that are at risk of extinction. It is also believed that in the forests of Costa Rica, several plant species will succumb to high temperatures.
"Trees are intelligent and have a great capacity for adaptation: unlike animals, which choose flight when faced with problems, they cannot move and must therefore confront adversity using their own resources," explains Stefano Mancuso, director of the Laboratorio internazionale di neurobiologia vegetale. The hope is that the baobabs will manage this time too: instead of running away, let us stand by their side.