While rare and endangered species receive much attention from civil society and interest groups in Europe, this is not the case in many African countries. In fact, many countries are still in the early phases of developing inventories or checklists of plant species. For example, no national inventory exists for the plant species in Malawi, Angola and Mozambique. Zambia and Zimbabwe are only now finalising efforts towards publishing such an inventory under the auspices of the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET), a 10 country programme that focuses on taxonomic capacity building and Red Lists.

What then of information about rare and endangered plants? What then of public interest in rare and endangered plants? About one-tenth of southern Africa’s flora is on the Red List. This represents a sizeable number of species given that South Africa’s flora alone consists of almost 24,000 taxa, and that much of it is concentrated in and around the fynbos vegetation of Cape Town.

Red Lists are well-known tools to determine the conservation status of species. Knowing the extent to which a species is threatened with extinction can help considerably to prevent or delay extinction. Red List work undertaken by SABONET revealed that much taxonomic and ecological data were not available, particularly in those countries with no checklists or with no history of field surveys (Golding 2002 – in SABONET News). This article deals with some interesting observations and anecdotes about the rare plants and people of southern Africa.

Edible tubers of orchids are harvested in large quantities, principally in Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Tanzania and possibly further afield. These are terrestrial orchids mainly from the genera Habenaria and Eulophia (relatively large tubers). These genera are commonly found in moist, grassy areas along drainage lines, called dambos. Well developed dambos often support a very rich and diverse herbaceous flora, home to many rare and endangered annuals, and often, prime birding areas. When tubers are harvested, they are cleaned and boiled. The starchy substance which becomes thick and viscous upon cooling, is then ready to be eaten with a meat or a vegetable stew (called relish), or sold on market places maindly in the urban areas, under the name of African Polony or chikanda.

Some 58 orchid species have been placed on Zambia’s Red List (Golding, 2002), and 21 of these are endemic to Zambia. A number of long-term investigative studies have been undertaken to determine which species are being harvested in southern African countries. Scientists purchase tubers from market places, and then cultivate and propagate them. Upon flowering, the orchids are ready to be identified to the species level. Knowing from where the orchids were collected helps greatly towards the identification of the species. Questions and consultations in and around marketplaces, as well as potential collection sites in the rural areas would thus be necessary. At this stage, the trade and collection of chikanda is not monitored, and there is currently no formative regulation of this activity.

There are literally hundreds of plants that are harvested on a large scale for use as traditional medicines and rites. While western medicines are fast gaining popularity, the use of traditional medicine still takes place widely in many areas of southern Africa. A widely-occurring indigenous species is that of Siphonochilus aethiopicus (Zingiberaceae), also called Wild Ginger (or White’s Ginger). Indeed, the rhizomes of this plant have a very distinct and pungent smell of ginger. It is commonly used in the treatment of chest ailments and as a decongestant.

The plants are easy to spot in the wild – their attractive mauve flowers at ground level are most conspicuous. Although this plant is very common in moist forest situations (not a common habitat type in these countries) in the undergrowth, it is being removed at an unsustainable rate. It is said that sites where this plant is in abundance is kept a secret for fear of plants being removed excessively. Found in Swaziland, South Africa and Mozambique, this plant is a Red List species. It is known to be extinct from several areas where it once was abundant.

The good news is that Wild Ginger is easy to cultivate provided it is done in well-drained, dark and rich soil in humid conditions. Plants can be propagated from seed, but an easier alternative is to divide the rhizomes when plants are dormant in winter.

Many people who live below the poverty line are dependent on using wood as a source of energy. Rural communities use firewood and charcoal, mainly from mature woodland trees belonging to the Leguminosae. Trees from other families such as the Combretaceae and Anacardiaceae are also often used.

Charcoal-making involves the felling of big trees (ca > 10 m) and curing them in an underground furnace. The felled trees are burnt, and then covered with a large mound of sand (functions like a furnace), where it is cured for a few hours. An aerial view of these smoking mounds is common in some rural areas, mainly near roadsides which form part of the production line (i.e. transport infrastructure that moves the supply). Often, large bags of charcoal will be for sale along roadsides.

Large volumes of wood are removed every year, and the lack of alternative energy sources not being made available is cause for concern. The effect of charcoal-making is undoubtedly destructive. First, it involves the non-selective felling of big trees and can cause the spread of runaway fires. Secondly, when furnaces cover a wide area, they damage soil-stored seedbanks, and thus hinder recruitment. Short-lived seeds, or those sensitive to changes in the depth burial or soil temperature, are most likely to be affected.

There are many parts of southern Africa that are unexplored by science and modernism, and in breathtaking ecological condition. These areas are extensive tracts of uniform landscapes that are known to only a few, and are inaccessible by road. They are found in the most remote and deepest parts of the region. It is these areas that are very special, and that hold many quiet secrets of nature’s wonder. Imagine walking for days on end, and not coming across people? Indeed, there are a number of places like this in southern Africa. While civil wars and political instability have left and continue to leave its mark on southern Africa’s biodiversity, there are many opportunities to turn the fate for southern Africa’s rare and endangered plants.

There are exciting ex situ opportunities like cultivating and propagating threatened plants in botanical gardens and seedbanks. There are also a number of transfrontier parks that straddle the boundaries of two or more countries. In fact, southern Africa has the highest number of such parks in the world (existing and planned), and these parks have augmented the protected area network that conserve many habitats associated with rare and endangered plants. Research scientists from botanical institutions from around the world are also involved in curbing predicted rates of plant extinction in southern Africa - the production of user-friendly information tools to educate the general public, the provision of solid information to decision-makers (e.g. Red Data Lists), and advising on conservation priorities are but some of the key activities of these organisations.

Finally, the work of policy-makers under the framework of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) cannot be ignored. The big drive for sustainable use in southern Africa acknowledges that conservation and people go hand-in-hand – survival for many in southern Africa depends on land and how its resources are managed. Aluta continua!

References

• Golding, J.S. (2002) Southern African Plant Red Data Lists. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report Series No. 14. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria. 217 pp.

• www.plantzafrica.com A website dedicated to sharing information about plants, their habitats, distribution, uses and horticultural value.
  
  
• www.botanicalsociety.org.za The Botanical Society of South Africa is a country-wide network of plant lovers. Organised field excursions, access to the National Botanical Gardens, seed, and subscription to their in-house magazine, Veld and Flora, are some of the perks of joining the Botanical Society (locally called 'BotSoc').
  
  
• www.nbi.ac.za South Africa’s National Botanical Institute is Africa’s premier botanical institution. Its extensive website has loads of information about the Institute’s activities in South Africa, and in other African countries too, as well as useful web links and resources.
  
  
• www.sabonet.org Currently the only website with the contact details of all botanists and botanical institutions in southern Africa, and those from overseas with an interest in the botany and flora of southern Africa. The website is hosted by the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET)
  
  
• www.rbgkew.org.uk/msbp/ The Millenium Seed Bank Project is global in scope and is undertaken by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and other partners. Its work in southern Africa principally focuses on the collection of endemic, threatened and commercially useful seeds for long-term banking at Wakehurst Place in the UK.