..."These wild creatures and wild places they inhabit, are not only important as source of wonder and inspiration, but are an integral part of our natural resources and of our future livelihood and well-being"...

Extract from The Arusha Declaration by Julius K. Nyerere, First President of the Republic of Tanzania, 1961

… "We are bewildered each time we hear saying: "This medicine is lacking", while in most cases, the medicine of which the lack is deplored, is there in the dispensary or hospital courtyard. What is our surprise to see how Africa continues buying medicines abroad instead of being, as it should be, one of the biggest producer and exporter of pharmaceutical products. In fact, Africa has everything it needs on its territory. But it lacks well-equipped research laboratories and reliable specialists drawn by a strong spirit of discovery"…

Dominique Traoré Vice President of Instut Pasteur, Paris 1965

Plants are recognized as a vital part of the world's biological diversity and essential resources for the planet. Apart from the small number of food and fiber crop plants, many thousands of wild plants have great economic and cultural importance. They provide food, medicine, fuel, clothing and shelter for most rural communities and habitat for animals in the world. Worldwide, plant genetic resources are widely used as a source of medicines. It is estimated that 75-95% of the world rural communities depend on herbal medicine for primary health care. Early studies conducted in Tanzania, identified a number of plant species that are a potential source of medicines for treatment of different diseases. Due to limited health services, traditional medicine is recognized as an important field in general health care within the communities. However, the increased use of medicinal plants coupled with high rates of environmental destruction is recognized as a potential threat to plant genetic resources. This makes conservation and promotion of the sustainable use of these resources as the most important undertaking as highlighted by agenda 21 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. While plant conservation can be facilitated by collecting the seeds and preserve them in the gene bank, sustainable use can only be achieved through promoting planting by the rural communities. This will as well reduce encroachment into the natural forest hunting for these plants.

Extract from Letter of Agreement CINS-AAF and THE NATIONAL PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES CENTRE (NPGRC)