Abstract
The woodlands of Boswellia papyrifera in the Horn of Africa are known to contribute substantially to ecosystem services and are economically valuable to rural communities because they produce frankincense. However, concerns about inadequate regeneration, repeated disturbances, and possibly unsustainable resin harvesting have cast doubt on their long-term sustainability. This systematic review examines B. papyrifera woodlands in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 framework. Searches of bibliographic databases and supplementary sources identified 68 records; after removing duplicates and assessing against predefined eligibility criteria, 38 sources were retained for the review. Because the studies differed substantially in design, sampling methods, ecological indicators, monitoring periods, and reporting formats, a quantitative meta-analysis was not undertaken. Instead, findings were synthesized using a structured comparative qualitative approach. Reported stand density ranged from 11 to 452 trees ha⁻¹, and many studies described populations in which intermediate- and mature-sized trees were more prominent than seedlings and saplings. Recruitment problems were linked to seedling mortality, grazing, fires, droughts, and other disturbances, suggesting that recruitment issues are driven mainly by the establishment phase rather than by seed scarcity alone.Evidence on resin harvesting indicated that intensive or repeated tapping can affect reproductive performance, tree condition, and susceptibility to secondary damage, although the effects varied with harvesting intensity and recovery conditions. Taken together, the evidence indicates that B. papyrifera woodland sustainability is shaped by interacting demographic, ecological, harvesting, and socioeconomic processes rather than resin extraction alone. Management should therefore combine protection of juvenile cohorts, appropriate regulation of resin harvesting, disturbance management, restoration where necessary, participatory governance, and long-term demographic and tree-health monitoring. The evidence base remains geographically uneven, particularly for Eritrea and Sudan, and further longitudinal and comparative studies are needed to establish more robust indicators of population persistence.