Wild plant planted for the first time The growing of plants from the wild is not uncommon, but in Cameroon, it has not really been the case. Most wild plants grow in the wild and they hardly get planted. However, interestingly enough, the plants Echinops giganteus which grows in the Mount Bamboutos area has for the first time been planted. This was on March 28, 2013, in Magha, a small village in the Lebialem Division which forms part of Mt Bamboutos.
It would be recalled that the objective of the Echinops giganteus project is to promote the plant, locally called “Ayilagwem”, and to link the project with the ABS process (Access and Benefit Sharing) of the Nagoya Protocol. The aim is to ensure the conservation of the natural resources and at the same time to secure the livelihoods and economic development of the local population. The project forms part of the Mt Bamboutos Ecological Restoration Program manned by the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF) and financially supported by French Conservation organization, Man and Nature.
The Echinops giganteus project would also help to sensitize the local population on environmental issues and the need to plant trees in a bid to restore degraded landscapes.The people in Magha showed great enthusiasm towards the project and the planting of Ayilagwem. The results were incredible with 4 000 seeds of Echinops giganteus planted by 10 persons in 1hour The next step would be to follow the growth of the seeds through agronomic trials and try to understand how to produce this plant. If the project is a success, the population of Magha would be able to create a sustainable production of the plant and sell the roots,which has fragrance potentials to local and foreign enterprises.
Manuella Hugue
Project Manager
Echinops giganteus ABS program
