Lack of Coherence Between Commercial and Scientific Names for Timber Species: Implications for the Sustainable Exploitation of Andoung in Gabon

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Abstract The lack of coherence between the trade names applied to commercially sold wood and the scientific names of the species involved may be contributing to the degradation and loss of biodiversity. To test this, a study was conducted in nine forestry concessions in Gabon to evaluate how well tree spotters were able to recognize and identify the group of nine species referred to by the commercial name andoung. Only 65% of the 308 trees recognized by the spotters as andoungs belonged to this group; this includes species in two genera, Aphanocalyx and Bikinia, both of which are often confused with members of other, more distantly related genera of Fabaceae. Trees assigned a commercial name with a qualifying epithet, corresponding to a particular species of andoung, were correctly identified only 11% of the cases. The inability to distinguish among species means that those that are rare and/or have restricted distribution, and may therefore be threatened, are almost certainly being harvested and sold. To improve this situation, we propose several steps designed to favor more accurate in-field identification of andoung species and to promote greater awareness of which species are suitable for sustainable harvested and which ones require legal protection to ensure their survival.

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