Grand Plan to Save World's Rare Plants--Kenya as an Example
9/2/99
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Title: Grand Plan in Place to Save WORLD'S Rare Plants
Source: The Nation
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: September 2, 1999
Byline: Jeff Otieno
Nairobi (The Nation, September 2, 1999) - In a move aimed at
conserving the world's rarest plant species, Britain's Royal Botanic
Gardens has launched a seed bank project targeting 10 per cent of the
world's flora. Kenya is one of the countries earmarked for the
project.
Also included are the United Sates, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa,
Egypt and Australia. Late last month, the head of the project, Dr
Roger Smith, and his team were in Kenya to strike a deal with the
government and local experts on how to transfer seeds of rare plants
for storage in Britain.
The pounds 80 million-project (Sh8 billion) was started after
environmentalists raised concern on the escalating destruction of
flora in Britain.
In a recent interview with Horizon, Dr Smith said the project was
also organised to celebrate the dawn of the next millennium "in an
environmental way."
"We expect conversions of wildlands to continue, rather than complain
and grumble, we decided to act," said Dr Smith.
However, the Kew Gardens' scientist says he "does not expect
politicians in the world to support conservation at the expense of
development."
And as Britain makes a bold move to strengthen conservation
programmes, Kenya "is still in the red," says Mr. Paul Muthoka, a
senior research scientist at the National Museums of Kenya.
"Future generations may never have a chance to enjoy our rare flora
if conservation is not given priority," said Mr. Muthoka, currently
on study leave in Britain.
The scientist says although he has been collecting seeds of rare,
threatened and useful plants for many years, little has been
achieved.
Although 10 per cent of Kenya's area is protected as national parks,
game reserves and forests, de-gazettment and forest excisions have
seriously affected the state of protected areas.
Dr Smith says by the year 2050, 20 per cent of the world's flora will
be condemned to extinction if the trend of indiscriminate
exploitation continues.
To partly solve the problem, Kew Gardens plan to focus first on the
drylands which make a large part of Africa.
Statistics show Kenya's flora consists of approximately 6,000 species
and according to Mr. Muthoka, only 1,131 plant species (including
exotics) are cultivated in the country - of these, 918 are for
ornamental purposes.
"As more land is put under cultivation, the once diverse plant life
is replaced with a narrow range of species, close to only 200, to
feed an increasing human population, leaving the rest under threat of
extinction," said the researcher.
On why the project will first focus on drylands, Dr Smith says: "They
are areas rich in biodiversity, but have been ignored for long.
Drylands have the rarest plant species which are unfortunately on the
verge of extinction."
The tropical drylands have over 20 per cent of the world's population
and this is where the conflict between man and nature is highest and
the threat of desertification at its peak.
"In these areas, it is difficult to use political or economic tools
and one thing environmentalist can turn to is seed conservation," he
argues.
Though Kenya has several research institutions involved in in-situ
(conserving plants in their natural habitat) and ex-situ (conserving
plants outside natural habitats) conservation, environmentalists say
the work is piecemeal and unco-ordinated.
"Ex-situ and in-situ conservation must become part of planning policy
for Kenya to make way in conservation," asserts Mr. Muthoka.
However, the future might not be so bleak after all.
In a move to streamline conservation strategies and ensure that Kenya
benefits from the scramble of rare flora by bio-prospectors, experts
have established a working group to help formulate laws that will
govern their use.
The laws, according to a University of Nairobi lecturer, Dr Francis
Situma, a member of the expert group, will enable locals benefit from
exploitation of resources by multinational companies keen on
developing new products using indigenous plants.
"Time has come for equal sharing of benefits accruing from resource
exploitation, we must stop bio-piracy," said Dr Situma at a recent
workshop held at the National Museums of Kenya.
Dr Smith concurs with Dr Situma's views and argues that locals should
not be ignored as they are the custodians of the rare plants.
The Kew Gardens official says the Convention of Biodiversity will be
the guide in striking agreements between Kew and the respective
countries.
But Mr. Ben Sihanya, an environmental law lecturer at the University
of Nairobi has different view.
"Yes conservation is important but the country also needs to embrace
biotechnology, to enable us develop and process products ourselves
using our rich biodiversity rather than selling them to bio-
prospectors".
Mr. Sihanya says Kenya should recognise indigenous knowledge in
innovation and protect it using the Industrial Property Act of 1989
which is currently under review.
He calls on organisations to establish the missing link between
conservation and utilisation.
"We should not focus on conservation alone but also spread the
message of wise use of resources," says Mr. Sihanya.
Back in Kew, the outgoing director, Prof Ghillean Prance, is
confident the project will help solve seed problems and make
conservation a priority.
"The stored seeds can later be transferred to their countries of
origin for propagation the moment they become extinct," says Prof
Prance.
However, he admits, Kew's effort is just a drop in the ocean in the
global campaign against destruction of biodiverstiy.
The director calls on governments to promote in- situ conservation.
"In-situ conservation is the best but there are some areas where it
is not possible. This is why we promote the two," notes Prof Prance.
Maybe 50 or 100 years to come the world will have some rare plants to
enjoy and Kew Gardens to thank for it.
Copyright 1999 The Nation.