Integrating local plant resources and habitat management

Abstract

The use of wild plant resources as a source of basic needs is an important aspect of multiple-use of land in much of Africa, ranging from vegetation with a low species diversity, high biomass production and resilience to harvesting (e.g.Phragmites reedbeds,Cymbopogon grasslands) through to vegetation with a high diversity of species (and plant life-forms), with a multiple of uses and often low resilience to resource harvesting (e.g. medicinal plants, pole cutting, fuelwood from Afro-montane forest). Complexity and costs of managing sustainable use of wild populations increase markedly with an increasing number of uses and resource users. It is suggested that if the primary objective of core conservation areas is accepted to be the maintenance of habitat and species diversity, then the limited money and manpower available for management of core conservation areas in southern Africa limits sustainable harvesting use of plant resources to low diversity, low conservation priority vegetation types or encroaching species. For high diversity, high conservation priority sites such as Afro-montane or Coastal evergreen forest, the emphasis must be on providing alternative sources of supply to resource users outside of core areas. Botanical gardens staff, with their horticultural experience, can play a very important role through ‘bulking up’ material for supply to small farmers, herbalists and introducing additional species for agro-forestry. Botanical gardens can play a greater role in the establishment of field gene banks andex situ conservation of vulnerable species. They can also provide a valuable educational and research role on mass production techniques to boost local stocks of threatened and commercially valuable species for cultivation by local people, whether farmers or specialist users (e.g. herbalists) in the country of origin as a means of generating employment and restoring local self-sufficiency.