Dalbergia melanoxylon

Other names by which the tree is known include babanus and grenadilla, which appear as loanwords in various local English dialects.

Conservation

There are multiple organisations involved in the conservation of African blackwood: the Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative, the African Blackwood Conservation Project, and Daraja Music Initiative (formerly Clarinets for Conservation).

The Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative (MCDI, formerly the Mpingo Conservation Project) is involved in research, awareness raising and practical conservation of African blackwood. Conservation of mpingo and its natural habitat can be achieved by ensuring that local people living in mpingo harvesting areas receive a fair share of the revenue created, thus providing them with an incentive to manage the habitat in an environmentally friendly manner. In order to achieve this, the MCDI is helping communities to get Forest Stewardship Certification.^[7]

The African blackwood Conservation Project works around Mount Kilimanjaro replanting African blackwood trees, and in conservation education. It also works with adult and women's groups in the promotion of environmentally sound land uses.^[8]

Daraja Music Initiative (formerly Clarinets for Conservation) is a U.S.-based non-profit that aims to raise awareness and promote conservation of mpingo through music education in Tanzania. Students participate in an interdisciplinary program during the summer months that raises awareness of the value of mpingo through musical performances, classroom instruction, and tree plantings at local secondary and primary schools.^[9]

Small growers in Naples, Florida have been successful in growing African blackwood there. Growth habit in Florida yields taller, larger trees, and the rich soil combined with ample nutrients and long growing season yields timber of superior quality at more sustainable rates.^[10][11]

Footnotes