Unsustainable Harvesting Practices Research Articles

THE UTILIZATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS FOR HEALTHCARE PURPOSES BY THE RESIDENTS OF TURMIK VALLEY, GILGIT-BALTISTAN PAKISTAN

People in Turmik valley, which is located in one of the more isolated areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, continue to rely on natural treatments to fulfill their main healthcare requirements. However, the folk wisdom that has been passed down through generations is gradually disappearing as a result of the development of contemporary allopathic medicines. For this reason, it is essential to document the indigenous wisdom for the benefit of children and grandchildren. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of medicinal plants in the investigation area for the treatment of a variety of illnesses. The research findings revealed the presence of 27 plant species belonging to 17 distinct families in the studied area. Among these, the Asteraceae family was found to be the most prevalent, comprising seven different species. Leaves and flowers emerged as the most frequently utilized plant parts, constituting 40% of the overall usage, and were typically prepared as decoctions (accounting for 24% of preparations). In terms of species dominance, Thymus emerged as the most prominent, followed by Cicer microphyllum Royle, while Sassurea graminifolia was identified as the least dominant species. However, it is important to note that the medicinal plants in the region face a range of threats, including overgrazing, uprooting, unsustainable harvesting practices, and the adverse effects of climate change. These challenges underscore the pressing need for conservation efforts, which should involve both government agencies and local communities, in order to safeguard these crucial medicinal species. The study recommends implementing awareness sessions and training programs, ideally through academic institutions, to raise awareness about the importance of conserving these medicinal plants and to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills needed for sustainable practices. Notably, Thymus, Benth, Hippophae rhamnoides ssp., and Convolvulus arvensis L. were identified as the most commonly used medicinal plants in the region, emphasizing their significance in traditional healing practices.

Ethnomedicinal plants in Champadevi rural municipality, Okhaldhunga district, Nepal

BackgroundOkhaldhunga is a hilly district with fragile socioeconomic conditions, limited access to health care, social stigma, and poor resource management, where most people rely on medicinal plants for primary health care. The use of medicinal plants for primary health care varies with socioeconomic attributes. Following the intra-cultural analysis, we documented and tested the hypothesis that use of medicinal plants in Champadevi, Okhaldhunga, Nepal, depends on socioeconomic variables.MethodsWe interviewed 224 respondents, 53.12% female and 46.88% male, including 31 Brahmin, 157 Chhetri, 13 Dalit, and 23 Janajati, and conducted three focused group discussions and seven key informant interviews to record the ethnomedicinal plants used in Champadevi rural municipality, Okhaldhunga District. The relative frequency of citation (RFC) was computed to know the importance of the species. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to see the relationship between medicinal plants reported with the sociocultural variables, which include age, gender, occupation, education, ethnicity, and religion.ResultsWe documented 149 medicinal plants, including 69 herbs, 22 shrubs, nine climbers, 48 trees, and one parasitic plant, belonging to 68 families and 130 genera, and used to treat 48 distinct diseases and ailments. Plant parts, leaf, and digestive disorders were frequently treated during healing. Curcuma angustifolia was the most cited species with RFC 0.9554. The respondents' knowledge of medicinal plant use varied significantly with age (p = 0.0001) and occupation (p = 0.003). Changes in land use, population decline of medicinal plant species, and unsustainable harvesting practices constituted the local threats to medicinal plants and associated knowledge. Elders died without passing on their knowledge to the younger generations during sociocultural transformation, and youth disinterest coupled with the free availability of allopathic medicine led to knowledge erosion.ConclusionsThe use of medicinal plants in Champadevi, Okhaldhunga, was significantly depended on two socioeconomic variables age and occupation. Ethnomedicinal plants are essential in the primary healthcare system in Nepal; however, their availability and practices are declining. Thus, plans regulating land use change and human migration, acknowledging traditional healthcare practices, and raising awareness of the significance of traditional medical practices as complementary healthcare practices should be strengthened.

Colored Shading Nets Differentially Affect the Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant Capacity, and Fruit Quality of Piquin Peppers (Capsicum annuum L. var. glabriusculum)

Piquin pepper fruits, a semi-domesticated wild pepper species highly valued in Mexico, currently face the threat of unsustainable harvesting practices that endanger the species. For this reason, it is necessary to establish sustainable agricultural practices for the cultivation of these peppers. Solar radiation, a critical determinant in crop production, plays a crucial role in plant development, influencing a spectrum of physiological and morphological processes, including the synthesis of phytochemicals. Our study evaluated the effect of light manipulation through colored shading nets on the phytochemical profile, antioxidant capacity, and fruit quality of semi-domesticated piquin peppers at two maturation stages: immature and mature (green and red fruits). Our hypothesis posits that these shading treatments may induce changes in these fruits’ phytochemical composition and antioxidant properties, as well as quality. Our results indicate that the shading treatments and maturity stage have significant on capsaicinoid and carotenoid levels, with the highest levels observed in mature fruits. Notably, red fruits grown under black shading treatments resulted in the highest capsaicinoid levels. Carotenoid levels were higher in the black shading treatment during the first cycle, while in the second cycle, the blue shading treatment showed elevated carotenoid levels, suggesting that high irradiance conditions could reduce carotenoid contents. Although no significant differences were observed among the treatments in green fruits, in red fruits, both black and blue treatments exhibited the highest total phenolic compounds in both production cycles. Furthermore, the antioxidant capacity revealed that red fruits exhibited higher antioxidant levels than green fruits. Color analysis showed that red fruits had higher chroma and hue angle values, indicating their brighter and more intense red color than green fruits. The morphological changes in fruit width, length, and weight can be attributed to shading treatments and maturation stages. These results indicate the potential of piquin peppers to act as rich sources of bioactive compounds, emphasizing the benefits of shading as an effective strategy to improve the quality and quantity of phytochemical compounds in piquin peppers. Our findings provide substantial insights into the intricate relationship between maturation, shading treatments, and phytochemical composition, offering a path to improve the nutritional value and quality of piquin peppers.

Socio-Economic Value and Availability of Plant-Based Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) within the Charcoal Production Basin of the City of Lubumbashi (DR Congo)

The overexploitation of forest resources in the charcoal production basin of the city of Lubumbashi (DR Congo) is reducing the resilience of miombo woodlands and threatening the survival of the riparian as well as urban human populations that depend on it. We assessed the socio-economic value and availability of plant-based non-timber forest products NTFPs in the rural area of Lubumbashi through ethnobotanical (100 respondents) and socio-economic (90 respondents) interviews, supplemented with floristic inventories, in two village areas selected on the basis of the level of forest degradation. The results show that 60 woody species, including 46 in the degraded forest (Maksem) and 53 in the intact forest (Mwawa), belonging to 22 families are used as sources of NTFPs in both villages. Among these species, 25 are considered priority species. NTFPs are collected for various purposes, including handcrafting, hut building, and traditional medicine. Moreover, the ethnobotanical lists reveal a similarity of almost 75%, indicating that both local communities surveyed use the same species for collecting plant-based NTFPs despite differences in the level of degradation of the miombo woodlands in the two corresponding study areas. However, the plant-based NTFPs that are collected from miombo woodlands and traded in the urban markets have significant economic value, which ranges from USD 0.5 to USD 14.58 per kg depending on the species and uses. NTFPs used for handicraft purposes have a higher economic value than those used for other purposes. However, the sustainability of this activity is threatened due to unsustainable harvesting practices that include stem slashing, root digging, and bark peeling of woody species. Consequently, there is a low availability of plant-based NTFPs, particularly in the village area, where forest degradation is more advanced. It is imperative that policies for monitoring and regulating harvesting and promoting the sustainable management of communities’ plant-based NTFPs as a priority, be undertaken to maintain their resilience.

Conservation of medicinal plants: challenges and opportunities

Medicinal plants have been used for centuries as a primary source of healthcare and healing. However, the increasing demand for medicinal plants, coupled with habitat loss and unsustainable harvesting practices, has led to the depletion of many species. This research paper examines the challenges and opportunities in the conservation of medicinal plants. It explores the threats faced by these plants, the importance of their conservation, and various strategies and initiatives that can be implemented to ensure their long-term survival. By addressing these challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities, it is possible to safeguard the rich biodiversity of medicinal plants and preserve their invaluable contributions to human health.

Understanding indigenous people's traditional Chinese medicinal plants harvesting preferences to guide sustainable management

Abstract Surging demand for medicinal plant products may lead to unsustainable harvesting practices, which could put pressure on wild populations. Yet little is known about indigenous harvesters' preferences on key traditional Chinese medicinal plant resources, and how these might affect sustainable use and management. We conducted a discrete choice experiment with over 900 native Tibetan harvesters in the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan plateau in China, under a range of complex alternative livelihood, climate and environmental change, and land tenure and customs scenarios. We used random parameter logit model with broad heterogeneity to estimate local Tibetan harvesters' preferences and their willingness to harvest, and latent class logit model to explore distinct within‐population groupings based on shared preferences, for designing possible interventions. We uncovered three key findings with important management implications for medicinal plants. When given a choice, the local harvesters preferred not to harvest any herbs. However, if they opted to harvest, they preferred to harvest flowers and seeds, as compared to roots, and tended to use wooden tool (over the use of bare hands and iron tool). Notably, the degree of compliance with village rules and customs, and ecological worldview interact with targeted plant parts and potential income from harvest to influence their harvesting preferences. Their choices were sensitive to scenario‐based changes to livelihood options. Finally, our study revealed three distinct harvester groups with substantial heterogeneity. Specifically, two groups consisted of over 60% of the interviewed harvesters who appeared to have a strong preference for sustainable practices, while the remaining group lacks this tendency. Overall, our results shed light on the importance of understanding the drivers of harvesting preferences and the heterogeneity of harvesting practices among indigenous people and their cultural and sustainability leanings, providing crucial insights for future sustainable use and management of wild and economically important medicinal plants in the grasslands of Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and other regions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Environment factors influencing abundance and growth of wild yam in broadleaved forest, Tsirang District, Bhutan

Yams (Dioscorea) consist of approximately 600 species in the world. Yams are considered a staple food in Asia, tropical and subtropical regions. Genetic erosion and unsustainable harvesting practices are among the main problems associated with wild yam plants. This study was conducted with the objectives to enumerate wild yam species composition and environmental parameters affecting its growth and abundance. Systematic sampling of the study site was carried out based on different land aspects. Line transects were laid out in selected land aspects within the elevation range of 825 – 1935 m. Five plots in each transect with a 100 m plot interval comprising seven transects were laid out in the study area. Each plot was divided into sub-plot of 20 x 20 m, 5 x 5 m, and 1 x 1 m to enumerate trees, shrubs, and herbs respectively. Seven species of yams were found from the broadleaved forest and spearman correlation showed negative association of yam abundance with tree counts and canopy closure. The areas with higher density of trees had low count of yam abundance. Yam grows well in open canopy in lower altitudes comparing to high altitudes. Yam abundance was positively related with shrubs, herbs, soil moisture, soil organic matter, soil organic carbon, and nitrogen content. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed significant difference of yam abundance in 7 different transects due to different ecological parameters influencing the abundance in different transects though transect being in a broadleaved forest.

Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbances on Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, India

This study revealed that the Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus population was threatened by anthropogenic disturbances in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. The Red Junglefowl density in the undisturbed habitat was higher (69 individuals/km 2 ) than in the disturbed habitat (36 individuals/km 2 ). The mean group size was marginally higher in disturbed habitat (3 individuals/km 2 ) than in undisturbed habitat (2 individuals/km 2 ). The estimated sex ratio showed no major variation among disturbed and undisturbed habitats. The present study also revealed that Red Junglefowl avoided disturbed habitats, and the results provide further evidence that protection from human activities is urgently required. Unsustainable harvesting practices need to be regulated as a large number of villagers continue to exploit resources for generating income to partially support themselves. They also collect medicinal plants and other Non-Timber Forest Products in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary round the year

Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbances on Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, India

This study revealed that the Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus population was threatened by anthropogenic disturbances in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. The Red Junglefowl density in the undisturbed habitat was higher (69 individuals/km 2 ) than in the disturbed habitat (36 individuals/km 2 ). The mean group size was marginally higher in disturbed habitat (3 individuals/km 2 ) than in undisturbed habitat (2 individuals/km 2 ). The estimated sex ratio showed no major variation among disturbed and undisturbed habitats. The present study also revealed that Red Junglefowl avoided disturbed habitats, and the results provide further evidence that protection from human activities is urgently required. Unsustainable harvesting practices need to be regulated as a large number of villagers continue to exploit resources for generating income to partially support themselves. They also collect medicinal plants and other Non-Timber Forest Products in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary round the year

Quantification and Discrimination of in Vitro Regeneration Swertia nervosa at Different Growth Periods using the UPLC/UV Coupled with Chemometric Method.

Swertia nervosa (Wall. ex G. Don) C. B. Clarke, a promising traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of liver disorders, is endangered due to its extensive collection and unsustainable harvesting practices. The aim of this study is to discuss the diversity of metabolites (loganic acid, sweroside, swertiamarin, and gentiopicroside) at different growth stages and organs of Swertia nervosa using the ultra-high-performance LC (UPLC)/UV coupled with chemometric method. UPLC data, UV data, and data fusion were treated separately to find more useful information by partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), an unsupervised method, was then employed for validating the results from PLS-DA. Three strategies displayed different chemical information associated with the sample discrimination. UV information mainly contributed to the classification of different organs; UPLC information was prominently responsible for both organs and growth periods; the data fusion did not perform with apparent superiority compared with single data analysis, although it provided useful information to differentiate leaves that could not be recognized by UPLC. The quantification result showed that the content of swertiamarin was the highest compared with the other three metabolites, especially in leaves at the rooted stage (19.57 ± 5.34mg/g). Therefore, we speculated that interactive transformations occurred among these four metabolites, facilitated by root formation. This work will contribute to exploitation of bioactive compounds of S. nervosa, as well as its large-scale propagation. The roots formation may influence the distribution and accumulation of metabolites.

Harvesting of salep orchids in north-western Greece continues to threaten natural populations

AbstractIn several eastern Mediterranean countries orchids are collected from the wild for the production of salep, a beverage made of dried orchid tubers. The drivers of this collection and trade have changed over time. We investigated which genera and species are harvested for salep production, whether any cultivation takes place, the chain of commercialization, and the economic value of tuber collection. Fieldwork and interviews in north-western Greece included 25 collectors and street vendors, the owners of two companies, and one herbal shop. The results show that several orchid species are traded for the production of salep, and none are cultivated. Tubers collected in Greece, Albania and Turkey are sold in northern Greece for EUR 55–150 per kg on average. Recent catalysts such as the increasing demand for traditional, organic and alternative foodstuffs, and the 2009 economic downturn, have led to a revival of salep consumption, with an increasing number of salep harvesters from Greece and Albania scouring the mountains for harvestable tubers, using unsustainable harvesting practices.

English

Sustainable management of forest resources in and around national parks continues to be a growing challenge in Gabon. Rural people living close by national parks continue to depend on those forest resources to meet their various livelihoods needs despite strict governmental restriction on access and use of forest resources, especially inside of national parks. Hence, most of these resources are mismanaged and overexploited while innovative mechanisms that would assist parks’ managers in sustainably managing these protected forests are lacking. A semi-structure interview was administrated to 79 sellers that were found in the three local markets located near the Ivindo National Park (INP), in the province of Ogooué Ivindo (Gabon). This survey aimed at clarifying the trade values of most of the popular indigenous fruits and nuts species and the sellers’ perceptions on resource decline for an improved management of resources inside and outside of the Ivindo National Park. From both inside and outside of the park, Coula edulis, Irvingia gabonensis and Dacryodes buettneri tend to be among the most sold wild fruits and nuts according to 82.3, 73.4 and 31.6% of the respondents respectively. I. gabonensis fetches the highest sale price in FCFA and represents the most important income provider to sellers followed by C. edulis and D. buettneri. Since social status of sellers such as marital status and ethnicity appear to be the driving factors to people’s entry to this trade, therefore they need all to be considered as key variables in regulating usages of these traded wild fruits and nuts. Despite the importance of indigenous fruits and nuts as source of income, resource decline have been acknowledged by almost all the sellers. Hence, sellers should be considered as key partners in identifying species in needs of conservation. Among the drivers of resource decline include the impacts of logging companies, climate change (unpredictability of rainfall), and unsustainable harvesting practices of the valued indigenous resources. Sustainable management of these valued indigenous forest resources call for a careful implementation of an innovative mechanism that would regulate demand and assist park managers in managing forest resources in a sustainable manner. Most critically, further studies need to look at the practical approach of setting up quotas based harvesting of these valued indigenous forest resources.   Key word: Trade, indigenous fruits and nuts, threatened species, sustainable management, adaptive management, Ivindo National Park, Gabon.

Status of Sterculia Urens Roxb. Trees in Madhya Pradesh, India

Destructive and unsustainable harvesting practices led to a decline of Sterculia urens (Gum karaya) trees from some of the forest areas of Madhya Pradesh. Therefore to assess the current status of S.urens trees, seven districts of the state were surveyed. Results revealed that gum karaya collection is done by inflicting multiple blazes on Sterculia trees. The intensity of harvesting was found progressively high in Sheopur district, followed by Umaria and Damoh districts. Percentage of healthy trees is declining. Methods adopted by local gum collectors are unsustainable and of serious concern leading to tree damage or even mortality. Gum collection is usually carried out throughout the year by locals until gum oozing stops. Post harvesting practices are not properly followed leading to increased chances of contamination and poor economic returns.

Transcriptome analysis of the Ophiocordyceps sinensis fruiting body reveals putative genes involved in fruiting body development and cordycepin biosynthesis

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a highly valuable and popular medicinal fungus used as a tonic and roborant for thousands of years in traditional Asian medicine. However, unsustainable harvesting practices have endangered this species and very little is known about its developmental programming, its biochemistry and genetics. To begin to address this, the transcriptome of the medicinal O. sinensis fruiting body was analyzed by high-throughput. In this O. sinensis 454-EST dataset, four mating type genes and 121 genes that may be involved in fruiting body development, especially in signal transduction and transcription regulation, were discovered. Moreover, a model was developed for the synthesis of the primary medicinal compound, cordycepin, and the putative biosynthetic enzymes identified. This transcriptome dataset provides a significant new resource for gene discovery in O. sinensis and dissection of its valuable biosynthetic and developmental pathways.

Economic Analysis of the Targeting Strategy of Artisanal Fishers in Dominica

This article examines the entrepreneurial artisanal fisher’s problem of choosing a set of targets that minimize variability in net trip revenues given limited inputs and the carrying capacity constraints of an artisanal vessel in an open-access fishery. Specifically, it explores the fishing behaviour and targeting options of fishermen in Dominica, with the objective of identifying catch-sets that can reduce the variance in the mean net income earned by artisanal fishers over a fishing season. The objective therein is to enable fishers to earn a more stable income, thus reducing their vulnerability to economic shocks. This is explored within the context of a risk tradeoff model for mean-variance portfolio optimization. Literature supports the view that the high degree of variability in mean catch rate contributes to the unprofitability and vulnerability of fishers and may also encourage their use of unsustainable harvesting practices in an attempt to improve fishing net revenue. The article also estimates the efficacy of targeting strategies employed by artisanal fishers, as evidenced by the ability to land the ex ante target species. The results show that there exists catch portfolios capable of reducing variance in net trip revenue across a fishing season returns for all sites, and that some fishers are in fact able to effectively land ex ante targets, which are important to overall reduction in the variability of trip net revenue. This suggests that there is scope for increasing the profitability of artisanal fishing activity in Dominica with existing vessels and gear operations of the artisanal fleet.

Vulnerability assessment of high-valued medicinal plants in Langtang National Park, Central Nepal

Langtang National Park (LNP, Nepal) is a unique habitat for a number of highly valuable medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). The medicinal plants have intense local utilisation as well as high trade demand. Due to increased collection pressure on available resources and unsustainable harvesting methods, many wild medicinal herbs have become vulnerable. In this study, an attempt has been made to identify high-valued medicinal plants of LNP and evaluate their potential endangerment by using a method called rapid vulnerability assessment (RVA). It was found that the vulnerability of medicinal plants was due to high utilisation of plant parts, habitat specificity, life forms, high trade demand, excessive local utilisation and unsustainable harvesting practices. Of the 51 species of MAPs prioritised by the Conservation Assessment and Management Planning (CAMP) workshop for the prioritisation of threatened medicinal plants in the Himalayas, 20 species were identified as high-valued medicinal plants in LNP. Aconitum spicatum, Nardostachys grandiflora and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora were identified as the most vulnerable species followed by Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Swertia chirayita, Delphinium himalayai, Rheum nobile and Asparagus racemosus.

Assessing the feasibility of sponge aquaculture as a sustainable industry in The Bahamas

Sponge harvesting was a significant part of the Bahamian economy until the late 1930s when disease, hurricanes, and unsustainable harvesting practices reduced the viability of the sponge industry. Current international demands for natural products, increasing regional needs for economic diversification, and the historical foundation of sponging in The Bahamas makes sponge aquaculture a desirable candidate as a sustainable industry. To determine the feasibility of sponge aquaculture in The Bahamas, we deployed growout arrays between February 2006 and September 2009 at two sites off South Eleuthera to examine the survival and growth rates of grass sponge (Spongia tubulifera) and hardhead sponge (Spongia pertusa) cuttings. Complete skin regeneration occurred for both species by the second week following deployment. Following 43 months of growout, both grass and hardhead sponges showed significant positive growth, with cuttings of both species exhibiting faster growth trajectories at the more protected site (Site A) when compared with the site further from shore (Site B). The proportion of sponge cuttings lost during the course of the study was also considerably less for both species at Site A, as was the amount of required maintenance for the arrays. The initial deployment of larger sponge cuttings could help reduce the overall growout period, as would the selection of sites that offered more protection for growout. Based on these results, sponge aquaculture could prove to be a sustainable low-cost industry in The Bahamas; however, further research on site selection, regulations, and market acceptability remains to be done.

Estimating balanced structure areas in multi-species forests on the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico

This study presents a method for estimating the minimum area which exhibits a balanced diameter distribution, and the corresponding number of trees, for different tree species and forest types in the Santiago Papasquiaro region in the State of Durango, Mexico. The balanced structure area is defined as the minimum contiguous area that is required for sustainable management of a multi-sized selection forest. A multi-sized forest represents a balanced structure unit if the relationship between harvest and growth can be maintained, using a defined target diameter distribution and disregarding major natural disturbances. The study is based on 17,577 sample plots in uneven-aged forests, which are selectively harvested by local communities. The minimum structure areas that provide a balanced diameter distribution in the diameter at breast height (DBH) interval of 12 to 57 cm vary from 0.4 to 122 ha, depending on the particular tree species. This study has shown that it is possible to identify silvicultural treatments that are conducive to sustainable use. Future management monitoring in the unique forests of Durango will reveal unsustainable harvesting practices more effectively and in a more comprehensive way than before, using the methods presented in this study.

Traditional health practitioners' practices and the sustainability of extinction-prone traditional medicinal plants

ABSTRACT For centuries, traditional health practitioners (THPs) have used their indigenous knowledge (IK) in conserving medicinal plants and environments in order to maintain sustainability. Medicinal plants have played an important role in the healthcare system of Africa. With the rapid environmental, social, economic and political changes occurring in many areas inhabited by rural people, the danger exists that the loss of biodiversity from habitat destruction and unsustainable harvesting practices will cause some species to become extinct, threatening the availability of medicinal plants on a regional level. This article presents the findings of research conducted to investigate the sustainability of the harvesting practices of THPs, with specific reference to extinction-prone traditional medicinal plants in the study areas of the Limpopo province, South Africa. The main aim of the study was to determine the natural habitat of extinction-prone traditional medicinal plants, combining the insight of THPs with the ultimate goal of guiding research for the conservation, propagation and cultivation of traditional medicinal plants. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and data were collected using in-depth interviews. The findings indicate that the THPs’ practices are shaped by historical processes and local cultural values, social norms and their management strategies, which are influenced by a broad range of factors.

Toward sustainable harvesting of Africa's largest medicinal plant export (Prunus africana): a case study in Tanzania

Global demand for treating prostate disorders with Prunus africana bark extract has made P. africana Africa's largest medicinal plant export. Unsustainable harvesting practices can lead to local extirpations of this multipurpose tree. Survey research targeting P. africana harvesters in a Tanzania forest reserve revealed that 78% of them used unsustainable harvesting practices. This research focused on establishing a socioeconomic profile of the harvesters, the profitability of their business operations, and identifying the factors that influence their selection of harvesting practices. Results indicate that harvesters have above-national-average education, double the average family size, and generate income exceeding government's minimum wages. Large family size and high earning potential imply increased future harvesting activity. Logistic regression results indicate that education and training level could predict the likelihood that a harvester would use unsustainable harvesting practices. Local- and district-level government organisations could implement a resource assessment as a basis to design and implement harvesting schedules and ensure that the harvesters receive appropriate training, regardless of their education level.