The mature baobab tree could have been anything upwards of 200 years old. Peter Wambua* did not know the age of the baobab that grew on his land, but he felt lucky when he was approached by a man who wanted to buy it. Wambua is not wealthy and once the tree was removed from his farm in Kilifi, on the coast of Kenya, he was able to put the cash to good use, for seeds, fertiliser and food for his family.
Wambua, who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, found out that the buyer was an agent for a group of contractors taking the giant trees to transplant them to Georgia. Farmers in Kilifi have sold at least eight of their age-old baobabs to the group. However, reports of the trees, which can live for up to 2,500 years, being uprooted for export have alarmed environmental groups, which have called it “biopiracy”.
