Sawing logs for wood-carving (photo: Alan Hamilton)

This is intended as the final phase of People and Plants. Conceptually there are four projects, in Africa (Kenya, Uganda), Asia (Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan), the South Pacific (Fiji, Papua New Guinea) and Multi-regional. WWF is seeking funds for all projects except that in Africa, which is the responsibility of UNESCO.

Funds so far confirmed are sufficient to allow work to proceed in Nepal and Pakistan, and under the Multi-regional project. Funds for at least some components of the African project are thought likely to be forthcoming.

The purpose is still capacity-building, of which three types are now explicitly recognised:

• professional capacity (more trained ethnobotanists)
• institutional capacity (development of curricula in universities and colleges; also development of non-governmental organisations)
• identification and promotion of best-practice approaches and methodologies.

Schedules of activities to augment capacities in applied ethnobotany have been devised for each country in accordance with national needs. Activities include integrated packages of grants for training, development of institutions, community-level action, and production and dissemination of case-studies.

The Multi-regional project provides means of cross-fertilisation between the regional projects and for managing the whole programme. It also has the specific objectives of identifying and promoting best practices in applied ethnobotany internationally, and creating a permanent international institution to develop and promote applied ethnobotany beyond the life of the programme. Four topics have been selected for identification and promotion of best practices:

• curricula in applied ethnobotany
• conservation and the wood-carving industry
• conservation of Himalayan medicinal plants
• sustainable use of plants in protected areas