Effect of Weather and Soil on Medicinal Plant Production in East African Arid Acacias: A Simulation Study

1In African countries various tree spcies are a key part in Non Timber Forest Production (NTFP) economy, be it for fruit, resin collection or medicinal use. Among these species Acacias play an important role in the arid and semi-arid dry-lands over Africa. In this study we explore the potential of BioGeoChemical Modelling techniques to assess growth peformance of Acacia ocurrences within their natural environment, where they only may persist against rain-fed grassland vegetation when having access to seasonally changing groundwater tables. Within this study we assess the applicability of BGC-modeling techonologies to pastoral and AgroForestry settings within a semi-arid region in Kenya. Results show that effects of (i) changing hydrological patterns, (ii) fire and grazing regimes and (iii) plant use for resin production may be captured.