Linking plant conservation and sustainable development
To mark International Day for Biological Diversity 2015, Tiziana Ulian highlights some of Kew’s projects relating to this year’s theme – Biodiversity for Sustainable Development.
Biodiversity loss and poverty are problems that are intricately linked, and plant conservation and poverty reduction should therefore be tackled together. Plants are faced with a range of threats — climate change, overexploitation, shortage of water, habitat loss and invasion of exotic species — and yet the livelihoods of small-scale farmers depend on biodiversity, particularly through the use and cultivation of so-called Neglected Underutilised Species (NUSs). NUSs include not just food plants but also many other species (both wild and cultivated) used as sources of chemicals, medicines, materials, and for environmental and social purposes.
The propagation of NUSs in rural communities can therefore be used to address the dual goals of biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction. The livelihoods of financially poor rural communities can be improved through appropriate biodiversity conservation activities and scientific research carried out within Kew’s ‘Diversity and Livelihoods’ team in the Natural Capital and Plant Health Department aims to inform and support such activities. Some of the main projects of this team are highlighted below.
Project MGU* — the Useful Plants Project
The Useful Plants Project aims to enhance the ex situ conservation of native useful plants for human wellbeing by building the capacity of local communities to successfully conserve and use these species sustainably. Since 2007, the project has been working with partners in Botswana, Kenya, Mali, Mexico and South Africa to conserve and sustainably use indigenous plants which are important to local communities.
A second phase started in 2011, during which the project has been scaled up. This has been done by doubling the number of communities, and adding activities and partnerships to provide opportunities for local communities which help to develop sustainable income-generating activities, as well as supporting the in situ conservation of useful plants through their reintroduction into managed areas. At present the project has compiled information on about 1,500 indigenous useful plants and conserved more than 500 species of them through seed banking. It has also involved and trained 25 rural communities and 39 schools to conserve, cultivate and make the most important plants available to them.
Habitat restoration, conservation and sustainable plant use in southern Peru
This project has been working since 2005 to conserve relict areas of native vegetation, develop and demonstrate techniques for habitat restoration and regeneration using local species, and promote sustainable production of economically viable products from Prosopis (huarango) pods and other native species. This is an all-inclusive project, building bridges between regional government, agriculture and rural communities for research and pragmatic activities. Today, the project works with agribusiness and community watersheds to support the conservation of agrobiodiversity, providing options for the growing spectrum of economic and climate impacts.
The Great Green Wall Initiative in Africa
Through 'The Great Green Wall Initiative in Africa' project, Kew is working toward the development of a model for restoration in areas threatened by desertification in Africa. Adopted in 2007, the Great Green Wall (GGW) Initiative — backed by, among others, the African Union, the World Bank, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the European Union — aims to tackle the damaging impacts of desertification, transcending political borders to create a wall of vegetation across Africa.
Kew’s GGW pilot project is bringing together Kew's new and existing partners in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to create a network of collaborators, from local community groups and environmental non-government organisations (NGOs) to forestry officials and government officers. Now in its third year, this project has directly benefitted over 100 communities, providing these communities with requested, economically useful, and locally well-adapted species, covering in total over 1,000 ha of formerly degraded and under-utilised land in the Sahel. It now aims to scale up and expand to other countries in the Sahel to prevent desertification while supporting food security and the livelihoods of people.
Biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and human wellbeing
These projects are examples of the growing realisation that people, biodiversity and sustainable development are inextricably connected. They prove that plant conservation activities can contribute to human wellbeing through the enhancement of food security and human health, the improvement of the community livelihoods, and the strengthening of the capacity of local people to face environmental changes.
The success of Kew’s work derives from its participative approach, involving partners at all levels — local, national and international — and ranging from rural communities, governmental and NGOs, as well as a wide range of experts from different disciplines, including botanists, horticulturists, agronomists and foresters. Most importantly, local communities participate from the beginning of the process in the selection, prioritisation and propagation of indigenous species while scientific and technical knowledge, and support is provided to them.
Tailored research activities (ethnobotany, ecology, physiology, seed biology and biochemistry and phytochemistry) are carried out to increase the value of the indigenous plants the communities view as important and to support their conservation and sustainable use at the local level. This approach of using indigenous species, with local communities at the centre of their selection for conservation, and supported by complementary research, may represent a model for other regions of the world where biodiversity conservation should be integrated with improved human wellbeing.
*The name MGU reflects the generous support provided by the philanthropist who funds the work of the Useful Plants Project.
References
Ulian, T. & Hudson A. (2014). Conservation and sustainable use of indigenous plants for the benefit of local communities. Trees: Journal of the International Tree Foundation 71:22-23. Download article
Ulian, T., Sacande, M. & Mattana, E. (May 2014). Conservation and restoration of indigenous plants to improve community livelihoods: the Useful Plants Project. EGU General Assembly, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vienna, Austria.
Ulian, T. (2014). Project MGU: The Useful Plants Project at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB). In: Curating Biocultural Collections: A Handbook, ed J. Salick, K. Konchar, M. Nesbitt, Kew Publishing Richmond, pp. 118.
Sanogo, S., Sacandé, M., Van Damme, P. & N’Diaye, I. (2013). Caractérisation, germination et conservation des graines de Carapa procera DC. (Meliaceae), une espèce utile en santé humaine et animale. Biotechnology, Agronomy, Society and Environment (BASE) 17: 321-331.
Way, M., Ulian, T. & Sacande, M. (2010). Saving Useful Plants through the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership. Online publication
Whaley, O. Q., Beresford-Jones, D., Milliken, W., Orellana, A., Smyk, A. & Leguia, J. (2011). An ecosystem approach to restoration and sustainable management of dry forest in southern Peru. Kew Bulletin 65(4): 613 – 641. DOI: 10.1007/s12225-010-9235
Whaley, O. Q., Orellana, A., Pérez, E., Tenorio, M., Quinteros, F., Mendoza, M. & Pecho, O. (2010). Plantas y vegetación de Ica, Perú - Un recurso para su restauración y conservación. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.