The Vitellaria paradoxa) is a key woodyspecies in sub-Saharan Africa, supporting the livelihood of over 18.4 million people—particularlywomen. However, its survival and productivity areincreasingly threatened by climate change, characterized by raising temperatures and reduced wateravailability. The species’ future resilience willdepend on its physiological adaptability to shifting climatic conditions. To assess this adaptability,we studied photosynthetic performance of 24 sheatrees in situ from April to December 2023 the mostactive period of leaf phenology across two contrasting climatic zones in Burkina Faso. We evaluatedhow photosynthetic efficiency responded to climaticvariability over this nine-month period. Unregulatedenergy dissipation (φNO) and regulated energy dissipation in the form of heat (φNPQ) were significantlydifferent (P<0.001) between phytogeographic zonesduring monitoring period. The chlorophyll contentwas significantly higher (P<0.001) in leaves fromhumid southern Sudanian phytogeographic zone(42.9±0.4 SPAD) than in drier northern Sudanianzone (40.8±0.37 SPAD). Linear regression showeda significant increase in protective energy dissipation(NPQt) in response to instantaneous photosynthetically active radiation in shea leaves from dryer northern site (R2=0.4). Additionally, leaf temperaturewas strongly correlated with ambient temperature,explaining 78–84% of variations (P<0.001). Overall,V paradoxa from the more humid southern site zoneexhibited better photosynthetic performance. Thesefindings highlight spatial differences in photosynthetic responses and provide valuable insights aboutwhich photosynthetic parameters are affected by climate change. This can pave the way for managementoptions to cope with climate change effects.