Senegalia ferruginea
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Senegalia ferruginea faces severe pressure from agricultural expansion and livestock grazing across its West African range, with traditional farming practices and cattle herding fragmenting its woodland habitat. Overexploitation for fuelwood, construction materials, and medicinal bark compounds the decline, as local communities increasingly harvest mature trees faster than natural regeneration can occur. Climate variability in the Sahel region further stresses remaining populations through prolonged droughts that reduce seedling survival rates.
Habitat
This thorny tree species inhabits dry woodlands, savannas, and semi-arid grasslands across West Africa, particularly thriving in sandy and lateritic soils of the Sudano-Sahelian zone. It commonly occurs in mixed woodland communities alongside other drought-adapted Acacia species and serves as an important component of traditional agroforestry systems.