Modelling the geographical distribution of plant species reported as anti-malaria and mosquito repellents in Burundi

The conservation and sustainable management of plant species require knowledge of their potential distribution areas and of the factors driving this distribution. A study modeling the distribution of ten flagship plant species reported as anti-malaria and mosquito repellents in Burundi was carried out, with a view to contributing to the establishment of conservation priorities in Burundi, which could also be a reference for other countries. The study was conducted in the four phytogeographic districts of Burundi. It was based on 98 samples from a field data collection on anti-malaria and mosquito repellent plants from Burundi and plant specimens kept at the University of Burundi Herbarium. Potential distribution areas were determined using the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) spatial interpolation tool in ArcGIS 10.5 software. The geographic distribution and the ecological factors likely to influence this distribution were determined. The spatial interpolation show that the ten plant species reported as antimalarial and/or mosquito repellent in Burundi can be predicted in all the phytogeographic districts of Burundi. According to the available literature, seven of the ten species belong to the category of widely distributed species. The study shows that there are some differences in terms of distribution especially in the Mosso-malagarazi district. This could be explained by ecological conditions, typical of the lowlands. The distribution models obtained in this study will guide the sustainable plants management in Burundi and elsewhere. In order to increase the production of essential oils and phytochemicals, we recommend the use of these models to identify potential growth sites of the ten anti-malaria and mosquito repellent plant species.