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The Population Ecology of Two Tropical Trees, Brachychiton diversifolius (Malvaceae) and Bombax ceiba (Bombaceae), Harvested by Indigenous Woodcarvers in Arnhem Land, Australia

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Abstract

We describe the population ecology of two tropical deciduous trees, Bombax ceiba leiocarpum A. Robyns and Brachychiton diversifolius R. Br., which are in high demand for Indigenous sculpture production in Arnhem Land, Australia. We monitored tagged populations of both species at two locations for 2 years to examine their reproduction, growth, and survival rates and their response to harvest. Both species have similar life histories: they reproduce during the dry season (June–November) producing a high seed load, seed predation was high, seeds did not survive in the soil past the following wet season to form a seed bank, and germination rates were low and variable for both species. Average annual circumference growth rates were 1.07 cm year−1 for B. ceiba and 0.98 cm year−1 for B. diversifolius, with most of the growth occurring during the early wet season. Most (65–88 %) of the harvested B. ceiba and B. diversifolius stems coppiced. Coppice and stem size class were the main factors influencing tree growth rates with coppice stems growing up to six times faster than similar sized non-coppice stems. The survival of B. ceiba and B. diversifolius stems was size class dependent and affected by local site factors (e.g. fire and other disturbances) so that the smaller size classes had a low probability of survival. Given the resprouting potential of both species, their wild harvest is likely to have only minimal local impact on wild populations. However, further population modelling is required to determine whether the small and disjunct B. ceiba populations can sustain harvesting at current levels.

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Acknowledgments

All fieldwork in the Maningrida region was carried out with the Djelk Rangers, particularly Clint Millingkan, Stuart Ankin, Matthew Marrday and Charles Godjuwa. We thank the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation and staff at Maningrida Arts and Culture for support and the Traditional Owners who granted permission for us to work on their land. JB Fisher, Francis Garwun, Derek Carter, Terry Ngamandarra, Audrey Hill, Julia Schult, Tanya and Scott Parker, and Leo Price also provided invaluable field assistance. The permanent plots were established at Gunn Point with the permission of the Parks and Wildlife Service of the Northern Territory and the Northern Territory Land Corporation. We thank Lynda Prior and three anonymous reviewers for comments on the manuscript. This study was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage grant and an Australian Federation of University Women (Queensland) scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, 0909, Australia

    Jennifer Koenig

  2. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Research School of Social Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Jennifer Koenig

  3. Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport, Northern Territory Government, Darwin, NT, Australia

    Anthony Griffiths

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  1. Jennifer Koenig
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Correspondence to Jennifer Koenig.

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Koenig, J., Griffiths, A. The Population Ecology of Two Tropical Trees, Brachychiton diversifolius (Malvaceae) and Bombax ceiba (Bombaceae), Harvested by Indigenous Woodcarvers in Arnhem Land, Australia. Environmental Management 50, 555–565 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9911-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9911-9

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