Conservation and the sustainable use of key malaria medicinal plants in south-central Uganda

Progress report: June - October 2006

By Gerald Eilu, Paul Ssegawa, Joseph Obua and Charles Galabuzi

Introduction

Charles Galabuzi (MSc student) talking to the local community in Kanabulemu © Gerald Eilu

The main objective of this project is to develop strategies for conserving medicinal plants used in malaria treatment in the area, build local capacity to monitor and manage these plants in the forest reserve, improve marketing of their products and develop local capacity in the sustainable utilization of these plants.

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Project implementation

Field visits have been conducted to the site and three meetings held with target local communities in two villages (Minziro and Kanabulemu). The local people have appreciated and agreed that there is a need to conserve medicinal plants, particularly the key medicinal plants used to treat malaria. This is because of the threats posed by commercial harvesters and the increasing need for herbal malaria treatment locally. It is reported that there have been some cases of illegal commercial harvesting. Some thieves were arrested with four bags of bark of Warburgia ugandasis. The communities think there could be local collaborators.

The local people are keen to improve their ability to identify, on a species basis, the trees that provide them with medicines, as this will could spread out the harvest and reduce potentially lethal damage to the particular specimens with which they are already familiar. They are also interested in building on their existing knowledge so as to be able to process and package herbal medicines. They are keen to develop their capacity to raising seedlings in nurseries for home herbal gardens, the treatment of malaria and generally to improve their livelihoods.

There is general interest in the project as judged by attendance at meetings, people's enthusiasm, questions asked during meetings, and the expectations.

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Outcomes

The selected nursery site in Kanabulemu © Gerald Eilu

• The field methods are now agreed with the local people (Result 1.1).
• The local community has been sensitized and appreciates the project (Result 1.2).
• Two sub-committees have been established in each of the two villages (which are ca. 15 km apart) (Result 2.2). One of the sub-committees will run the nursery, while the other will be in charge of monitoring, protection and sensitization.
  • Roles of the Nursery Committee: identifying good mother trees and collecting viable seeds; collecting construction materials for the nursery (e.g. poles, grass, soil and manure); budgeting for and acquiring nursery materials/equipment; carrying out general nursery management (e.g. sowing, potting, clearing, cleaning, pest/disease control, watering etc); setting up demonstration gardens; and ensuring security of the seedlings in the nursery.
  • Roles of the Monitoring/protection/sensitization Committee: leading the group in participatory forest inventories; identifying target species in the forest and mapping them; demarcating transect plots/monitoring sites in the forest; assessment of degree of exploitation of trees using agreed methods; leading the planting campaigns of the target species; and monitoring activities of commercial harvesters. A few monitoring sites have been identified (Result 2.3).
• Two nursery sites have been identified and are under preparation (Result 3.1). One of sites is the former UNDP nursery site at Kanabulemu and the second is at Ms. Scholastic Namayanja's home garden in Minziro. She allocated part of her land for the project nursery. Preparation of the sites is underway using tools purchased with Allarchy funds.
• Identification of seed sources for the nurseries is being done under the guidance of Charles Galabuzi (an M.Sc. Student) and Dennis Sebugwawo (the field based research assisstant). Mr. Charles Galabuzi is now resident in the area (in Minziro) and interacts with the local people regularly.
• The MSc Student (Charles Galabuzi) has now developed a research proposal entitled 'Conservation and Local Utilization of Key Malaria Medicinal Plants in the Sango Bay area, South-Central Uganda'.

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Constraints

• Motivating the community to participate without immediate financial gains, particularly in comparison with other projects that offer financial incentives.
• There is interest in planting pines and Eucalyptus, which are believed to be resistant to pests (termites), are fast growing, commercially beneficial and are actively promoted by the National Forest Authority.
• In the past there has been a tendency of stealing seedlings from the nursery by neighboring communities.
• Setting up two nurseries implies doubling establishment costs thus constraining other elements of the budget.

The work programme for the next reporting period

Charles Galabuzi (MSc student) and Dennis Ssebugwawo (local field Assistant) examine a debarked Hallea rubrostipulata at one of the sites in Malabigambo forest © Gerald Eilu

• In the next reporting phase, the nursery committee will visit Toro Botanic Gardens (Fort Portal) to learn and share experiences in the development of nurseries and home herbal gardens.
• Monitoring plots will be established in the forest to monitor the harvesting levels of the medicinal plants.
• A priority list of indigenous plants used for the treatment of malaria will be developed (Result 1.4.).
• Local monitoring capacity will be built during training (Result 2.1).
• Documenting low impact harvesting practices will be initiated (Result 1.3).
• Identification of seed sources and propagating planting materials will be undertaken (Result 3.2).
• Some dissemination materials will be developed (Result 3.3).
• Training workshops will be conducted on nursery and tree management (Result 3.4).
• Collecting socio-economic information relating to markets will be initiated (Result 5).

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