Newsletter Number
15
December 2003
Final evaluation of the People and Plants Programme
A final external evaluation of the People and Plants Initiative is now underway.
The purposes of this are four-fold:
to determine progress against objectives;
to see how aspects of the initiative might continue in other forms after the programme ends in 2005;
to learn lessons about how conservation programmes should be structured;
to ascertain the contributions of P&P to the Programme Partnership Agreement between WWF-UK and DFID (currently a principal funder of the programme).
There will be national-level evaluations in 3 countries in which the programme is currently especially active; that is Kenya, Nepal, and Pakistan. Other aspects of the programme are being assessed for global impact, including in terms of training young professionals, assistance for the development of NGOs and courses in ethnobotany, and in terms of the general development of applied ethnobotany (for instance, as encouraged through our publications, videos, and this website).
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Publications
People and Plants Books
Martin: Ethnobotany: a methods manual
I am pleased to report that this textbook, the first book to be published in our series, has now been re-issued by Earthscan.
It is the basic introduction to the field, showing how botany, anthropology, ecology, economics, and linguistics are all employed in the techniques and methods involved. It explains data collection and hypothesis testing and provides practical ideas on fieldwork ethics and the application of results to conservation and community development. Case studies illustrate the explanations, demonstrating the importance of collaboration in achieving results. It is highly recommended as a readable introduction to the subject.
2004 should see the publication of the following new books in our conservation series (provisional titles):
Forests, Livelihoods and the International Woodcarving Trade: carving out a future
Edited by: Anthony B. Cunningham, Bruce M. Campbell and Brian Belcher
Plant Identification, Conservation and Management: methods for producing user-friendly field guides
Edited by: Anna Lawrence & William Hawthorne
The series has been extended, and will include further titles, including an introductory textbook on plant conservation, and a book about medicinal plants and conservation.
People and Plants Videos
A new video entitled "CARVING A FUTURE: 10 lessons for sustainable wood-carving enterprises" has been completed. This is the final video in the People and Plants series. Additional video titles will however be produced by People and Plants International, which will continue the work of the WWF/UNESCO People and Plants Initiative. The video was produced because woodcarving adds more value to wood than the timber industry, and often creates more jobs and income. Yet throughout the world, government Forest Department support to woodcarving enterprises is very limited. This is true in all manner of political circumstances. Based on extensive research, this video suggests 10 lessons which can be applied as "wise practice" for a sustainable woodcarving trade.
Plant Talk Article
Once again we urge you to take a look at Plant Talk, the splendid magazine that explains complex issues of global plant conservation in direct language. The current issue (No 34) carries an article about some Chinese ethnobotany initiatives (Yunnan: ethnobotany in the service of conservation).
This publication, the Bulletin of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kauai, Hawaii, supports plant conservation worldwide, and also has a full back cover advertisement about People and Plants, with details of our publications and website.
Plant Talk is also a valuable source of information about meetings, conferences and other events related to plant conservation. Full details are available at Plant Talk on-line, and we repeat our recommendation to People and Plants supporters to take out a subscription.
Meetings
World Parks Congress
In September 2003, People and Plants were represented at this important meeting in Durban, South Africa.
Points discussed here included:
(1) questions about productive activities in protected areas, need for sustainable use guidelines, desirability of pilot projects and the case-study approach;
(2) involvement of a range of agencies (including Agricultural Departments);
(3) the value of private land for conservation, e.g. in New Zealand;
(4) the percentage of an ecoregion needed for plant conservation (this will vary greatly between ecoregions);
(5) the need to 'sell' ecosystem services;
(6) the shortage of taxonomists;
(7) the need for 'national champions';
(8) the need for quality rather than quantity (in terms of area).
Kenya and Uganda
In the same month Alan Hamilton and Tony Cunningham also attended meetings in Kenya and in Uganda, including:
Kenya
Meetings were held with members of the Kenya Ethnoecology Society (KES), at a workshop with about 20 people at the National Museums of Kenya, mainly to discuss People and Plants International. Discussions centred on how KES and the African Ethnobotany Network can be involved with People and Plants International.
Uganda
The Uganda Network of Ethnobotanists and Ethnoecologists (UGANEB) has reported that 17 students graduated in the undergraduate ethnobotany course in 2003; now an MSc course in ethnobotany is being considered. Prof. Bukenya noted that Joseph Obua will be the next caretaker of UGANEB.
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The newsletter, reflecting the activities of People and Plants, is compiled
by:
Martin Walters
People & Plants Editor and Web-manager
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