Yaw Kwateng

Conserving Medicinal Biodiversity and the Sustainable Use for Local Inhabitants of Lake Bosomtwe of Ghana

Lake Bosomtwi basin showing Abono community.

Focus group discussion with a local group at Abono.

Consultative meeting with staff of Abono Junior High School.

Consultative meeting with ' Nyame na Aye group'.

School children having fun at the nursery site.

Preparation of raised beds carried out by school children.

Illustration to a student on how seedlings are uprooted and transplanted.

Town/RegionCountryCategoriesDate
Lake Bosomtwe, Bosumtwe District, Ashanti RegionGhanaAfrica, Plants, Seeds8 Feb 2010

The project is to be carried out at Lake Bosomtwe, one of the world's six major crater lakes, found in the Ashanti region, about 35km South East of the regional city, Kumasi. It falls within the peripheral semi- evergreen forest and the Guineo-Congolian regional centre of endemism. The lake basin is endowed with rich flora of global and national conservation significance that are important biodiversity for traditional medicine. However, this biodiversity is under serious threat from a variety of human induced pressures.

The project seeks to conserve and promote sustainable use of medicinal plants of Lake Bosomtwe and its environs. This is a build up of a survey conducted at Lake Bosumtwe which sought to gather information and develop data base of plant species of conservation importance. It however reveals the extent to which plant species of conservation importance have been over exploited leading to dwindling levels of plant resources as a result of bush fires, excessive collection of medicinal plants from the wild,
unsustainable agricultural practices, settlement expansion and indiscriminate felling of trees for firewood and logs.

Therefore, the need to develop measures to reverse the situation through good conservation practices and awareness raising campaigns on over exploitation and sustainable use is very critical due to the role medicinal plant and for that matter traditional medicine play in the health needs of local
inhabitants.

Baseline activities are grouped into two components including; awareness raising campaigns:

It aims at sensitizing local users through community forums and workshop on best environmentally friendly practices for harvesting medicinal plants from the wild and the diffusion of the perception that only wild species types other than cultivated types have high therapeutic properties or efficacy.

Documentaries on best practices as well as public education on community radio on medicinal biodiversity conservation would be incorporated in the programme.

Local schools will play an important role in the implementation. Debates and quiz competitions will be organized for them.

Establishment of pilot herb garden:It aims at establishing seed nursery to enhance the preservation of medicinal plant genetic resources and also increase domestic use.

The target group will include local users, school children and the district assembly.

It is anticipated that the local community would have been sensitized on medicinal plant conservation and pilot herb garden and nursery established.

For further information contact ykwat24@yahoo.co.uk

Project Update: March 2010

A field trip was carried out:

• To identify and consult the various stakeholders on their roles and responsibilities in the project implementation including the Abono traditional authority, staff of Abono Junior High School, the local FM station and various local groups comprising of opinion leaders, District assembly representative and farmers.

• To solicit for their support and commitment to make the project succeed - the allocation of site to be earmarked for the nursery establishment and land for the herb garden.

The outcome of the stakeholder consultations was very reassuring and the people were happy about the benefits the project would offer. Pieces of land for the herb garden and nursery establishment have been offered by the chief and his elders.

Project Update: April 2010

A community forum was organized at the Abono community hall centre. The theme was ‘The role of medicinal plants, its conservation and sustainable use'.

Among the issues discussed were forest loss, the causes and its impact on medicinal plants, the socio-economic and health benefits of medicinal plants, the need to enforce local by-laws and the roles and responsibilities of participants in ensuring medicinal plants are preserved. Participants were drawn from three communities, Abono , Abrodwum and Adwafo .

Participants expressed concern on the rate at which permits were issued by the District assembly to outsiders to fell trees and the illicit activities of chainsaw operators. They called for effective collaboration with the district assembly and the need to engage them in decision-making process.

Participants proposed 20 plant species of medicinal value that have been very useful to them since time immemorial but are rare to find, to be cultivated in the herb garden.

Project Update: May 2010

A stakeholder meeting was held to seek the consent of Abono community school including the staff, executives and members of the Parent Teachers Association, chief and executives of the School Management Committee in the engagement of their wards in the project implementation. Some members believed that engaging their wards particularly on fieldwork amounted to child labour.

This concern was addressed through education on why schoolchildren should be brought on board in biodiversity conservation programmes. Some parents added that students should be encouraged to get involved since it was in the community interest as well as the children in appreciating medicinal conservation It was agreed that project activities be integrated into the schools' agricultural practicals and students examined on what they would have learnt since it is part of the curriculum. An appeal was made to the project team to provide the school with a set of school jerseys to serve as a motivation to the students. Meanwhile, handouts have been given to students and date fixed for a quiz competition immediately after recess, project advisory board has been inaugurated, 15 medicinal plants species have been nursed and site for the herb garden prepared

Project Update: June 2010

The project has raised about 5,000 seedlings from 15 species namely Pycanthus angolenesis (Otie), Zanthoxylon gillette (Okuo),Tetrapleura tetraptera (Prekese),Khaya ivorensis (Mahogany), Moringa Oleifera, Rauvolfia vomitra (Kakapenpen),Neuboldia laevis (Sesame), Morinda lucida (Konkroma), Alstonei boonei (Nyame dua), Celtis mildbraedii (Esa fufuo), Cassia alata, Garcinia kola (Tweapea), Kigelia africana (Nufutene), Paullinia pinnata linne (Twentini) and Garcinia epunctata (Nsokodua), confined in a bamboo fenced area of about 0.2 ha.

School children are being educated on silvicultural practices employed in establishing nursery and herb garden of the various species from planting to harvesting, including bed preparation , species propagation methods, raising and transplanting of seedlings, general handling and use of nursery tools, watering and transportation of seedlings to planting site. Education on planting seasons, spacing, tending (thinning, pruning) and creation of fire belts have been undertaken.

Meanwhile, some community members were supplied with seedlings, particularly, Tetrapleura tetraptera and Moringa oleifera to plant at their backyards following initial requests being made.


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