Conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants in Ghana 1999-2002

Information

Good and accessible records about the identification, the habitat and the utilisation of wild plant species in Ghana are essential for effective planning for their conservation. Base-line facts need to be accurate and they need to be documented. The inventory information gathered in this project can be used to provide an impetus for conservation activities and scientific research.

Information is power. Without accurate documentation of existing genetic resources, their identity and their habitat, it is not possible to meet the basic aims of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The databases, the data and the trained staff will empower the institutions of Ghana to respond to the Convention, effectively.

Namely:

Education

The Medicinal Plant Garden provides an essential tool. The Garden will be used as an educational resource for demonstration, interpretation and training. There will be extensive and graphic interpretative panels in the garden that will illustrate how these plants can be propagated cultivated and harvested.

The Medicinal Plant Garden will be the base from which out-reach training programmes can extend, and there will be step-by-step guidelines on how to establish medicinal plant gardens in a village setting.

Skills developed in the garden will provide new information about the propagation and cultivation of plants that have never been brought into production before. This information and the skills learned will be illustrated in a handbook. The handbook will be designed for easy access to local communities. It will remain as a teaching resource for the Garden to use.