Africa’s landscapes are home to some of the world’s most powerful medicinal plants. The Pepper‑bark Tree, Wild Ginger, Fever Tree, and African Potato are just some of the many species within a rich African pharmacopeia that has evolved over thousands of years of accumulated knowledge and wisdom and shared across generations to support Traditional Health Practitioners to heal their patients.

Today, human activities threaten the survival of hundreds of medicinal plant species worldwide. Plants are often lost in the wild through high harvesting levels and the transformation of habitats through agriculture, mining and other human activities. The slower, less visible impacts of climate change are also increasingly affecting wildlife.

The good news is that there is a resurgence of support to conserve medicinal plants with people across sectors contributing to their improved protection and long-term survival. To succeed, these efforts need to be embedded not only in the conservation of biodiversity but also in culture, sustainability, and community empowerment. We also need to recognise that meaningful change requires sustained effort over time.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s contribution

To protect this biocultural heritage, the Endangered Wildlife Trust is working alongside Traditional Health Practitioners, communities, traders, and harvesters to develop sustainable, legal sources of medicinal plants. Our starting point is to explore the challenges we all face through biodiversity loss and by sharing ideas and potential strategies to address them, in this case focusing on medicinal plants.

Cultivation has the potential to reduce the volumes of plants that are harvested from the wild if we can achieve scale and minimise production costs. In collaboration with the South African Biodiversity Institute and regional conservation agencies, the EWT has hosted seven training courses since March 2025, reaching nearly 350 participants in both rural and urban areas. Because medicinal plants hold deep cultural and spiritual meaning, cultivation needs to be carried out with care, recognising and honouring the cultural and spiritual protocols that are traditionally carried out when these plants are handled and used.

We also need to ensure that we adhere to both international and national legislation. Many medicinal plant species are protected by law due to the significant threats to their long‑term survival. Since regulations governing medicinal plants can be complex, we work with national and regional conservation authorities to support Traditional Health Practitioners and other stakeholders understand legislation and navigate legal compliance.

We are also supporting communities and Traditional Health Practitioners to monitor wild medicinal plant populations growing in their areas and, over time, exploring approaches to strengthen controls. This includes working with South African police officials and local leaders, as well as engaging with communities to raise awareness of wildlife legislation and explore options to address the underlying drivers of illegal wildlife activities where possible.

While the challenges are significant, we are encouraged by the growing support and renewed collaboration between conservation organisations, Traditional Health Practitioners, and other stakeholders. By working together to protect medicinal plants while ensuring they remain accessible for traditional medicine, we can help secure a thriving African pharmacopeia for the health and well‑being of people now and for generations to come.

** Funded by the UK Government through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.