Density and potential utilisation of medicinal grassland plants from Abe Bailey Nature Reserve, South Africa

The Abe Bailey Nature Reserve, South Africa has been identified as a potent ial community resource reserve compatible with biodiversity conservation. A s part of the planning and public participation phase this study investigat ed the potential for sustainably harvesting medicinal plants. Medicinal pla nt use data on local species, parts used and harvesting techniques, in coll aboration with neighbouring traditional healers were collected. A census of these plants was conducted in the reserve and frequency, density and abund ance were calculated. A medicinal plant rating system for assessing conserv ation priorities was used to combine both social-qualitative and ecological -quantitative data. Five medicinal species suitable for high impact harvest ing were identified. Thirty-four species have potential to be set up as har vesting trials to determine sustainable quotas. Thirty-one medicinal specie s including Boophane disticha, Dicoma anomala, Eucomis autumnalis, Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Pentanisia prunelloides and Indigofera daleoides are consid ered to be site-specific sensitive species and should not be harvested from the reserve. Following this research an on site nursery has been started a t the reserve. A multi-pronged approach involving harvesting trials, propag ation and plant rescue from developments to cope with escalating demand and dwindling natural populations needs to be implemented.