We are dealing with emotions and long-held beliefs that are cherished by the people who hold them. Some of the knowledge that goes into the making of these medicines are centuries, if not tens of centuries, old. We have to work in partnership with these people. Every year some 1500 tons of plant material, the equivalent of 110 trucks each capable of carrying 40 tons, is sold in the medicine markets on the streets of Durban alone. The dispensed value of the medicines made from these plants is estimated at about R500-million a year for the province.
Conservationists tend to concentrate on flagship species such as rhinos and tigers.
But, if you consider these statistics, it becomes clear that other plants and animals, including those used in our local traditional medicines industry, the need for working with these practitioners in order to protect biological diversity becomes even more clear. Jenny Mander, manager of the INR's natural resource programme, said the new approach being hammered out at Cites would bolster programmes that are currently being implemented in South Africa to prevent species extinction while at the same dealing with the needs of traditional healers and their clients. We have converted a number of development projects in the Melmoth area to schemes where people grow bulbous plants. Thse have a good turn-around and generate significant amounts for families. We have also encouraged people to grow hedgerows of trees like the pepperbark which is widely used for a range of ailments.