A new initiative forwarded by conservationists encourages trans-boundary co-operation in the use of traditional medicinal plants in sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to tap the economic value of medicinal plants for socio-economic development, while ensuring that existing resources are not over-exploited. Traditional medicinal plants are to be domesticated so that a reliable source is available to future generations. To guard against the loss of indigenous knowledge, the therapeutic properties of plant species are to be catalogued and their activity assayed in a process called "bio prospecting." Economic hardships have led to community fragmentation and forced migration. Indigenous knowledge passed on by the elders from generation to generation has been lost, in addition to habitats ideal for medicinal plant growth. Local medical systems are different among cultural groups, therefore to ensure the co-operation of traditional healers, intellectual property rights are to be observed. Information management and dissemination, particularly to rural communities will aid efforts to create wealth through conservation and sustainable use of TMP.

In response to the new health challenges confronting sub-Saharan Africa, collaboration between traditional healers and conventional medicine practitioners is the ultimate goal. For generations, traditional healers have been using ritual in combination with herbal remedies to treat patients. The growing belief in modern science as infallible has led to the dismissal of traditional medicine as primitive and ineffectual. However, the advantages of making traditional medicine an integral component of health care are undeniable. More resources are being channeled towards researching the efficacy and safety of traditional medicines, as well as educating communities on the importance of biodiversity conservation. Restoring the high credibility and deep respect that traditional healers previously held, while increasing the availability of western medicine, will bridge the gap between the two treatment regimes. Concerted efforts towards solving the region's health problems will prove more successful than fragmented attempts to prevent and treat current pandemics.

Takudzwa Shumba is a senior in Branford College