Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 March 2007
Southern Sudan has a rich tree flora. Trees are important in the livelihoods of the numerous tribes of the region, who use them for shelter, fuel, food, fodder, medicine and income generation. The gallery and depression forests contain valuable timber trees. Other species provide non-timber forest products that are potentially tradable outside Sudan, particularly in African countries that have over-exploited their own forest resources. As the carrying capacity of the western and central areas of Sudan decreases, the pressure on the natural resources of the higher rainfall southern areas will increase. This in itself might initiate conflict, as various tribes compete over a relatively rich resource base. The recent peace established between the north and south could result in depletion of the forest resources of the south through commercial exploitation. This paper details and discusses the wild tree resources of southern Sudan, including many already threatened species.