Executive Director, Whole Planet Initiative (WPI), Margaret Adebukola Adekola, has announced the launch of a biological garden for the conservation of rare plant species in South-West Nigeria, saying that the initiative was in response to threats to plant species historically linked to health and livelihood.
The WPI executive director made this known in a statement, a copy of which was made available to newsmen on Friday, saying that, towards this end, the organisation had already collected over 2,000 plant species, ranging from medicinal and spiritual to edible plants, which at the moment, according to her, “are almost extinct.”
“We have already collected over 2,000 plant species, ranging from medicinal and spiritual to edible plants, which at the moment are almost extinct,” she said.
Adekola noted that Green Peoples Environmental Network (GREPNET), a member of the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forest (IAITPTF) based in Thailand, had praised the initiative, saying it would provide the necessary technical assistance for the project.
According to her, GREPNET, which is currently attending COP29 taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, has, however, called on the Federal Government and South-West states to support the project.
WPI executive director, while emphasising the linkage between plants, human survival, spiritual wellbeing, and the interconnection between the cosmic and material worlds that humans live in, all of which she said were necessary for sustainable development, further noted that experts had identified the South-West region as home to hundreds of thousands of plant species that had played critical roles in the lives of the indigenous peoples of the region, spanning several centuries.
“We are not only conserving the plants; we are also taking records of their indigenous names, uses, importance, and the environmental factors that nurture them.
“The biological gardens will be located in the six South-West states and Kogi and Kwara states, which are expected to serve as an environmental compendium for researchers, pharmacologists, and medical concerns all over the world,” she stated.
Speaking further, Adekola disclosed that a team of experts was already working on the project with the expectation that it would be launched in the first quarter of 2025, pointing out that the project was in line with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), which deals with the importance of indigenous peoples and their role in the conservation of biological diversity.
WPI executive director, while affirming that nature itself defines humanity, argued that knowledge of plants explains human understanding of natural circles and the earth and how they are critical to the preservation of natural biological resources from extinction.
“We are impressed with the interest this project has generated all over the world. A lot of institutions are anxious to work with us in the conservation of plants, which is expected to be the first of its magnitude in Nigeria,” she enthused.
Adekola further noted that the South-West region is home to forest-dependent people, but sadly observed that they were fast losing nature to the ravaging impact of climate change, deforestation, corporate greed, and a lack of environmental impact assessment by both government and non-state actors in the project implementation framework.
She, however, disclosed that the largest of the gardens was expected to be located in Oyo State with 28,000 square kilometres, adding that the initiative would generate jobs for thousands of young people, apart from providing a myriad of environmental training programs for people in the West Africa sub-region.
“WPI estimates that the initiative will generate jobs for thousands of young people, apart from providing a myriad of environmental training programs for people in the West Africa sub-region.
“The project will equally boost tourism potential and advance the campaign against by-effects of climate change,” Adekola said.
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