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

Grantee:

The Uganda Group of the African Network of Ethnobiology (UGANEB) (address: Department of Botany, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda)

Project period: April 2006 to March 2008

Highlights

• The project is concerned with conservation and development based on several species used to treat malaria in two villages in south-west Uganda.
  
• Using a community-based approach, the project will investigate how to develop management systems to allow sustainable use of the targeted species.
  
• Cultivation of the plants will be promoted to provide material for treatments locally and also to sell to provide income.

See also:

Progress report for the period June 2006 to October 2006

Visits of villagers from Sango Bay by Paul Ssegawa, December 2006

Progress report for the period October 2006 to March 2007

Progress report received August 2007

Project report received May 2008

Photographs of the project received May 2008

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Project description

The goal of the project is to improve the health and livelihoods of rural households through low-cost malaria treatment using indigenous medicinal plants. The overall objective is to conserve and ensure sustainability of key medicinal plants used to treat malaria by the local communities in the Sango bay area. The study will focus on Minziro and Kannabulemu villages. The target species are: Hallea rubrostipulata, Syzygium guineense, Warburgia ugandensis, Zanthoxylum chalybeum and Vernonia amygdalina.

Malaria is the main killer disease, after HIV/AIDS, in Uganda especially among infants below 5 years. Our project area has the lowest number of health centres in Uganda (in many cases with no drugs), a high incidence of malaria and is very poor. The local people often resort to the use of traditional medicine to treat malaria. However, the medicinal plants are threatened by un-sustainable harvesting practices, habitat loss, ineffective policies and limited local involvement in their conservation. Moreover, medicinal plant conservation requires robust management systems in favour of conservation or sustainable production (or both) at sites where the plants grow.

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Immediate objectives of the work

• Develop community-based strategies for conserving the key species used to treat malaria in order to ensure the sustainability of their use, promote ecosystem health and improve livelihoods.
  
• Build local capacity to carry out inventories, ecological monitoring and management of medicinal plants.
  
• Promote conservation of medicinal plants used for the treatment of malaria.
  
• Develop local capacity to lobby and advocate for legislation to support conservation of medicinal plants.
  
• Improve marketing of plant products used for treatment of malaria.

Methodologies developed within the target villages and on the target species will be promoted for use on a wider scale. A participatory approach will be used to ensure that the local community owns the project. The project will work closely with private forest owners, as well as the Uganda National Forestry Authority to develop joint forest management systems involving the various stakeholders.

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Expected results/outputs

The project will develop dissemination materials and sensitise the local community to ensure that there is increased recognition of the importance of medicinal plants in primary health care.

A priority list of indigenous plants used for the treatment of malaria will be developed and low impact harvesting practices documented to produce guides to optimal harvesting quantities. A handbook on the characteristics and abundance of indigenous plants used for the treatment of malaria will be developed.

Local monitoring capacity will be developed, a monitoring team selected within the local community and trained, and monitoring sites established with the forest. Nurseries will be established, seed sources identified and planting materials of target species propagated.

Management plans will be written and bye-laws developed to regulate use. Policy briefs will be prepared to influence policy.

Market chains for the target species will be identified and reports on the requirements of potential markets produced to promote economic benefits from the targeted species.

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Contacts

Gerald Eilu
Department of Forest Biology and Ecosytems
Management, Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Email: eilu@forest.mak.ac.ug
Telephone: +256 772 642640
Fax: +256 41 533 574

Joseph Obua
Department of Forest Biology and Ecosytems
Management, Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Email: obua@forest.mak.ac.ug
Telephone: +256 772 444492
Fax: +256 41 533574

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Other members of research team

Paul Ssegawa
Department of Botany
Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

Gauden Nantale
Department of Botany
Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

MSc. Student
Charles Galabuzi
Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation
Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

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