Understanding Burseraceae: Trees of Eastern Africa

Commiphora bushland in eastern Hiraan Region, Somalia (Photo: Peter Kuchar)

THE BURSERACEAE

Those of you who downloaded digital copies of The Burseraceae by Kuchar and Gillett on storiesofeastafrica.com will welcome the updated version now available at Kuchar & Gillett – The Burseraceae (Dec 2025).

For those unfamiliar with the term, Burseraceae is a family of shrubs and small trees. In Somalia, it comprises two genera, Boswellia and Commiphora, the latter probably the most diverse, abundant, economically important, yet worst understood and documented genus of woody plants in the Horn of Africa. This report not only explains why but also includes information (Somali names, uses etc.) about Burseraceae species in (pre-1989) Central Somalia, not to mention a very useful vegetative key for identifying them.

***A commiphora tree showing the species’s iconic contorted appearance.***

Author: JMK, C.C.C-Share Alike 4.0 International license

RANGELAND DOCUMENTS RELEVANT TO LARGE AREAS OF SOMALIA.

Speke’s gazelle is a very rare small antelope that is similar in appearance to the Thomson’s gazelle encountered by tourists on the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania. It inhabits a 20-40 km wide grassy plain along much of Somalia’s coast. In the mid 80’s it also occurred in the northern Ogaden of eastern Ethiopia. cc-by-sa-2.0. FlickreviewR 2

This announces the availability of another batch of free downloads of hard-to-find documents on the rangelands of Somalia: Twenty-six reports on subjects ranging from the Trees of Somalia, a sand movement inventory, and the traditional Deegan ecological classification, to the Yeheb nut and Spekes gazelle. Publication dates range from 1907-2013. Several reports, originally published between 1954 and 1976, are translations of articles in Italian journals (1954-1976).

RANGELAND DOCUMENTS RELEVANT TO LARGE AREAS OF SOMALIA

FREE DOWNLOADS OF HARD-TO-GET DOCUMENTS ON THE RANGELANDS OF SOUTHERN SOMALIA

Featured image: Densities of goats November / December 1983

This announces the availability of free downloads of hard-to-find documents on the rangelands of Southern Somalia, an area larger than Great Britain. These include 2 published papers, 15 reports and 87 maps. Twenty-six of the maps compare wet and dry season densities of dynamic resources, including livestock, wildlife, cropping and seasonal habitation. Publication dates range from 1980 to 1992. https://storiesofeastafrica.com/the-southern-rangelands-of-somalia-2/

Free Downloads of Documents on Central Somalia Rangelands

Featured image: Large trucks provided the primary transport for pastoralists and villagers within the Central Rangelands. Boards resting on the upright sides of the truck separated people (above) from small stock and other cargo (below).

A fourth set of free downloads of hard-to-find documents on the Central Rangelands of Somalia’s is now available. This installment includes eleven extension leaflets (five written in Somali) and nine monitoring and evaluation documents by the Central Rangelands Development Project. The period covered is from 1979 to 1988. https://storiesofeastafrica.com/?page_id=4229

Free Downloads on Central Somalia Rangelands

Featured image: A village in Central Somalia

A third set of free downloads on the rangelands of Central Somalia is now available. This installment includes five reports, ten maps, and seven published papers on rangeland ecology and development https://storiesofeastafrica.com/?page_id=4116

FREE DOWNLOADS OF CENTRAL SOMALIA RANGELAND DOCUMENTS–2nd Installment

A second set of free downloads of hard-to-obtain documents on the rangelands of Central Somalia is now available. This installment includes survey and research results produced by the Central Rangelands Development Project https://storiesofeastafrica.com/reports-by-somalia-crdp/. Reports by other agencies will follow in future texts.

REPORTS BY SOMALIA’S CENTRAL RANGELANDS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (CRDP)

RANGELANDS OF CENTRAL SOMALIA

REPORTS BY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH, LONDON.

This announces the availability of free downloads for the first set of hard-to-obtain reports on the rangelands of Central Somalia. https://storiesofeastafrica.com/reports-on-the-rangelands-of-central-somalia/

This post includes surveys and maps carried out in 1979 by Resource Management and Research (RMR), London. Reports by other agencies will follow in future posts.

DIGITAL COPIES OF PUBLICATIONS ON THE RANGELANDS OF SOMALIA

(Featured image: Dr. Tom Thurow and Somalia National University students collecting rangeland composition data on the coastal plains of Central Somalia.)

Because Its rangelands are Somalia’s primary natural resource, a considerable amount of research has been carried out over the last several decades to determine their productive potential and how they may best be managed. Unfortunately, much of the resulting information was not widely published and is, therefore, now difficult to obtain. This post is the first of several to at least partially remedy this situation by making available digital copies of relevant publications and reports for free downloads

Publications on the Rangelands of Somalia

Introducing Digital Copies of Publications on the Rangelands of Tanzania

Featured image: Eleusine jaegeri, a large tussock grass, dominates the highland grasslands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It is unpalatable except when young. Consequently, grazing pressure is confined to an underlying mat of palatable grasses (Andropogon, Cynodon, Digitaria, Sporobolus) which is kept low by constant usage.

Several months ago I made digital copies of the Range Management Handbook of Kenya available online. The response was so positive that I’ve decided to continue with other difficult-to-obtain publications on eastern Africa’s rangelands. Today I’m happy to announce the online availability of several digitized publications on the rangelands of Tanzania!

During the mid 1960’s and 70’s I was involved in, among other things, surveys of vegetation in Tanzania. Whenever possible, I also obtained copies of other surveys and studies, six of which I have digitized. Published between 1967 and 1978, they are now out of print and hard to obtain. Nonetheless, they may still have some value, be that for planning, instructional, research, or historical purposes.

Visit Rangelands of Tanzania – Miscellaneous Publications

If you find these useful, please do let me know!

Also, if you have paper copies of additional publications on the rangelands of Tanzania and would like me to digitize them and make them available, please send me an email.

UPDATED RANGE MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK OF KENYA

Featured image: Production risk due to lack of rainfall in Marsabit District

Now available for free downloads: digitized copies of the 22 reports (3 volumes) comprising the Range Management Handbook of Kenya.

For information on rangeland resources, climatology, livestock diseases, constraints facing range development, and much more, go to the sidebar and click on Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Alternatively, click on storiesofeastafrica.com/range-management-handbook-of-kenya/

Some examples of newly available reports / maps appear below.

District-wide maps provide inventories of natural resources and their ecological status

Environmental degradation is ongoing in the rangelands of East Africa. This guide shows how to identify and monitor soil erosion in arid and semi-arid lands.

Camels, which typify arid rangelands, have, in recent years, also become a presence in semi-arid rangelands. See this report for tips on how to manage them.

Stories of East Africa by Dennis Herlocker

Category: Rangeland resources