The Whole Planet Initiative has announced the launch of a biological garden for the conservation of rare plant species in South-West, Nigeria.
The initiative, according to a statement by the organisation’s Executive Director, Adekola Adebukola Margaret, is in response to threats to plant species historically linked to health and livelihood.
“We have already collected over 2,000 plant species, ranging from medicinal and spiritual to edible plants which at the moment are almost extinct”, Adekola stated.
The Green Peoples Environmental Network (GREPNET), a member of the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forest (IAITPTF) based in Thailand, she said, had praised the initiative, saying it would provide the necessary technical assistance for the project.
GREPNET is currently attending COP29 taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan
The international body, according to Adekola, has, therefore, called on the Federal Government and South-West states to support the project.
WPI emphasized the linkage between plant, human survival, spiritual wellbeing and interconnection between the cosmic and material world which humans live in, all of which are necessary for sustainable development.
The South-West, according to experts, is home to hundreds of thousands of plant species that have 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”, WPI stated, adding “The biological gardens will be located in the six South-West states and Kogi and Kwara states which are expected to serve as environmental compendium for researchers, pharmacologists and medical concerns all over the world.”
Already, a team of experts, she disclosed, is working on the project with the expectation that it will be launched in the first quarter of 2025, adding that the project is 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.
Knowledge of plants, WPI contends, explains human understanding of natural circles, the earth and how they are critical to preservation of natural biological resources from extinction, stating “Nature itself defines humanity.”
“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” the organisation further disclosed.
The South-West, Adekola claimed, is home to forest-dependent people, who are fast losing nature to the ravaging impact of climate change, deforestation, corporate greed and lack of environmental impact assessment by both government and non-state actors in project implementation framework.
The largest of the gardens, she said, is expected to be located in Oyo State with 28,000 square kilometres, by far the largest land area in the South-West.
WPI estimates that the initiative will generate jobs for thousands of young people, apart from providing a myriad of environmental training programmes for people in the West Africa sub-region.
The project, she added, will equally boost tourist potential and advance the campaign against by effects of climate change.
Adekola Adebukola Margaret
Executive Director
