ethnopharmacology - Biovision Foundation supports pilot project in Kenya's rainforest

c Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland Background: Vanuatu is considered as the world's most diverse nation in terms of the number of actively spoken indigenous languages per head of population, resulting in a great cultural diversity. The climate here varies from wet tropical in the northern to dryer subtropical in the southern part, resulting in a huge biodiversity compared to many other islands in this region. This biodi- versity together with the huge cultural variety made Vanuatu a unique target for an ethnobotanical survey. Objectives: Investigation of differences in the traditional medicinal systems and the use of plants on the basis of three case studies - namely islands differing in floristic composition due to their location in different climate zones and discriminative soil composition as well as ethnological background of the inhabitants. Methods: During five months of fieldwork ethnographic data concerning healing practices and the medicinal plants used were collected on three islands using the semi-structured interview technique. The data obtained were analyzed in context with (ethno) botanical literature already available for this region. Results and conclusions: A comprehensive database on (ethno)botanical literature of Vanuatu was created listing about 2000 plant species of which about fifteen percent are traditionally used. Additionally different levels of knowledge loss were observed in the three investigated areas reflecting the situation of the whole country. icipe terials. The extracts from the aromatic and medicinal plants are used to create a range of products for various health and healing purposes, and are sold at local and national markets in Kenya and Tanzania. Results and conclusions: This project adds value to and motivates utilization of traditional knowledge. By generating new green jobs and additional income, livelihoods of the local community have been improved. The project also enhances community partici- pation in forest protection, especially of women and youth, by conducting environmental education and awareness on biodiversity conservation. Technology transfer into the local communities enables new plant-based marketable products for improvement of health and nutrition. The thousands of people in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda who buy and use them is proof of the continuing success of this project.