Ethnobotany and conservation of the species Celtis toka (Forssk.) Hepper & J.R.I. wood: A way forward for sustainable use in Burkina Faso

Celtis toka (C. toka), a critically endangered mystical plant, is a highly valued and overharvested multiuse tree species by local population in Burkina Faso. The ethnobotany of C. toka can lead to its sustainable use, therefore it is a great challenge because little information is available on this aspect concerning the species in Burkina Faso as well as in Africa. Thus, this study aims to assess the sustainable use and management of C. toka in Burkina Faso. The study was conducted along a climate gradient (Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian climatic zones) in Burkina Faso. Data were collected randomly through selected semi-structured interviews with 405 informants (148 women and 257 men) randomly selected from 34 villages and 25 ethnolinguistic groups. Frequency of citation was computed. Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney test and Generalized Linear Models analyses were performed to determine whatever information varied according to site and socio-demographic parameters. Among eight use categories, food (27.89%), livestock (18.97%), shade (16.23%), and pharmacopeia (14.92%) were the most recorded. Leaves (63.83%), roots (19.20%), and bark (17.11%) were the most valued plant parts. All plant parts were used to heal 29 ailments in 37 ways. The most common diseases treated by C. toka were vitamin deficiencies (FL = 8.84%), malaria (FL = 8.44%), cast (FL = 5.84%), madness (FL = 3.25%), eye ache (FL = 2.77%) and yellow fever (FL = 2.60%). Sacred forests (39%) and protected areas (27%) were the key biotopes of C. toka. Value of C. toka was well-treasured in the study sites. The frequency of citation of some use patterns and plant parts varied significantly across some ethnolinguistic groups, sex and generation levels (p < 0.05). Management such as sowing (0%), seedling transplantation (0%) and assisted natural regeneration (0%) were lacking. Sacred (37.99%), taboo (25.04%), mystic (11.62%), magic (10.28%) fetish (8.96%) and medico-magic (6.12%) characters of C. toka determined the traditional conservation strategies of the species in Burkina Faso. Our results recommend that the conservation policies and sustainable use of C. toka should be prioritized. Furthermore, studies should thus emphasize the domestication potential of C. toka for its plant parts.