Africa's oldest baobabs are dying

    The African baobabs, suggestive millenary trees, are dying. A mystery that is troubling scientists. Most of these ancient, large African trees have seen an end in the past 12 years. And the cause, while unsupported by scientific evidence, could be linked to climate change


    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

    The African baobabs, suggestive millenary trees, are dying. A mystery that is troubling scientists. Most of these ancient, large African trees have seen an end in the past 12 years. And the cause, while unsupported by scientific evidence, could be linked to climate change.




    This is stated in a new international study conducted by various universities, from Romania to South Africa to the United States. According to scientists, these towering trees are dying at breakneck speeds - an unprecedented event.

    The research, published in Nature Plants, revealed that the deaths were not caused by an epidemic.

    “We suspect that the disappearance of monumental baobabs may be associated at least in part with significant changes in climatic conditions affecting southern Africa in particular. However, more research is needed to support or refute this assumption, ”said the team, led by Dr. Adrian Patrut of the Babes-Bolyai University in Romania.

    The African baobab is the largest and longest-lived angiosperm tree. Researchers since 2005 have been examining these beautiful, ancient creatures across southern Africa, using radiocarbon dating to investigate their structure and age. Trees that have died or are dying are found in Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia and are all between 1.000 and more than 2.500 years old.

    Africa's oldest baobabs are dying

    Unexpectedly, the researchers found that 8 of the 13 oldest and 5 of the 6 largest baobabs had died. Baobab trees have many trunks, often from different eras. In some cases, the scientists noticed that all the branches had died suddenly.

    “Using radiocarbon dating we have identified stable architectures that allow baobabs to reach large size and age. We report that 9 of the oldest 13 and 5 of the oldest 6 have died, or at least their oldest parts have collapsed and died in the last 12 years. The cause is not yet clear ”they explain.

    Africa's oldest baobabs are dying

    "We suspect this is associated with rising temperatures and drought", he said dr. Patrut. "It is shocking and very sad to see them die."



    Yet they are able to store large quantities of water inside the trunks (up to 120 thousand liters) to withstand the lack of water typical of the arid areas in which they live.

    It is a certain fact that larger trees need more water and nutrients than smaller trees, which is why they are more affected by rising temperatures and drought.

    Africa's oldest baobabs are dying

    Per Thomas Lovejoy, environmental scientist and Amazon rainforest expert for George Mason University, the climate is a likely culprit, but there is actually no evidence of how it is changing where these ancient trees live.

    In Zimbabwe, according to Lovejoy, baobab deaths could be linked to a type of fungus, but Patrut's study, which examines baobabs much more extensively, argues that for older trees in particular, the deaths "were not caused by an epidemic ".

    Could it be the natural end of their long life? It is possible, although it seems unlikely that so many baobabs have died in just over a decade in the same geographic area.



    The fact remains that these iconic creatures, a symbol of Africa, have stopped living after thousands of years.

    READ also:

    • Baobab: the extraordinary properties and the thousand uses of the most majestic tree
    • The oldest and most majestic trees in the world
    • The 10 longest-lived trees in the world

    Francesca Mancuso

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