Conservation and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants in Ndian Division, Cameroon Location Country Categories Date Ndian Division Cameroon Africa , Plants 30 Sep 2002
MEPLACON is a non-profit organisation which is assisting in the conservation and management of forest resources as well as evaluating and reducing the consequences of forest exploitation. The team helps local resource users to identify medicinal plants, teaches them methods of sustainable harvesting of the plant products, communicates these methods to other resource users, helps to strengthen the capacity of traditional healers and works towards the alleviation of poverty through marketing of medicinal plants.
Contact the team at Meplacom_ngo@email.com .
Project Update: February 2003 Following the Rufford Small Grant the group was able to arrange an office and more staff - both of which had been large problems.
•A three day capacity building workshop was organised and held in Yaounde at NOKA hotel involving three main staff of Meplacon from November 9-11 2002
Project Update: March 2003 Heavy rains led to a slow down in project activities this month. Notwithstanding, data from different zones were carefully revised and useful information extracted. As for the nursery, a fence was built using local materials to prevent stray domestic animals from damaging young plants that have been potted. The mature plants from the nursery were planted at the gemplasm plot. Some three new members registered bringing the total membership of the organization to 34.
Project Update: April 2003 Data about medicinal plants collected from the Ngolo, Batanga and Bakoko zones were reviewed. The seed collection team intensified their activity leading to an increase in species potted at the nursery despite the rains. Other Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), boundary trees, social forestry trees, and ornamental trees were planted for sale to ensure sustainability of project. Some volunteers also cleared plot 1, which already has 1,250 planted seedlings. Also, the enumeration/identification team continued their work in the primary forest of the gemplasm plot.
As usual, weekly meetings were organised to ensure proper planning and evaluation of activities. Some 17 tour operators from South Africa also visited MEPLACON establishment and held a brief meeting with the staff. There was also an influx of high government officials working in our project area who seem to have interest in what we are doing owing to the fact that we are the first and only renowned NGO operating legally in this rich administrative division.
Project Update: May 2003 May was very busy. Apart from the fact that data collection had been concluded for most sectors of our target area, many other projects had been conceived and needed follow up, especially as the activities of the Korup Project were to stop in June 2003.
In this respect, attention was given to aspects of Conservation Education, with formation of a Drama Group and initiation of an Ecotourism group all of which needed some negotiations with the authorities concerned, local donors, WWF Cameroon, EU, Korup Project and mobilization with working groups. Nevertheless, work had to continue on the nursery that involved collection of seeds from envisaged sites and maintenance of gemplasm plot. More plants were identified in the plot while the last phase of data collection for the Bakoko zone was completed. Weekly meetings were organized to ensure proper planning and evaluation of activities.
