An Exploratory Study on Contributing Factors to the Extinction of Indigenous Plants in South Africa
Keywords:
Contributing Factors; Extinction; Indigenous Plants; South Africa
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the contributing factors to the extinction of indigenous plants in South Africa. This was due to the evident depletion and loss of indigenous plants in most rural areas in South Africa. This study adopted qualitative research approach with exploratory design. Seminal studies on this subject were purposely collected using keywords extracted from the research topic. Again, Textual Content Analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The results of this study, confirms that indigenous plants are threatened by the human-induced and natural factors. The most notable human factors are the methods of procuring the plant materials, whereas the natural factors are mainly erratic rainfall and rising temperature patterns This study recommends urgent conservation measures such as proper harvesting methods and documentation of indigenous knowledge to mention the least, should be introduced and those that already exist should be properly used in order to prevent the loss of indigenous plants. Advance initiatives are needed to inform policy on adaptation and coping with the factors that contribute to the extinction of indigenous plants.
References
Abbink, J., (1995). Medicinal and ritual plants of the Ethiopian Southwest: an account of recent research. Indigenous knowledge and development monitor, 3(2), pp.6-8.
Albrecht, M.A., and McCue, K.A. (2010). Changes in demographic processes over long time scales reveal the challenge of restoring an endangered plant. Restoration Ecology, 18, pp.235-243.
Amjad, M. S., Arshad, M., & Qureshi, R. (2015). Ethnobotanical inventory and folk uses of indigenous plants from Pir Nasoora National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 5(3), 234-241.
Applequist, W. L., Brinckmann, J. A., Cunningham, A. B., Hart, R. E., Heinrich, M., Katerere, D. R., & Van Andel, T. (2020). Scientistsʼ warning on climate change and medicinal plants. Planta medica, 86(01), 10-18.
Arjona-García, C., Blancas, J., Beltrán-Rodríguez, L., López Binnqüist, C., Colín Bahena, H., Moreno-Calles, A.I., Sierra-Huelsz, J.A. and López-Medellín, X. (2021). How does urbanization affect perceptions and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants?. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 17(1), pp.1-26.
BAH, (2004). Herbal medicines today: scientific knowledge and medicinal conditions; Inventory and perspectives. 4th ed. Bundesfachverband der Arneimittelhersteller (BAH), Bonn, Germany.
Barbosa, F., Hlashwayo, D., Sevastyanov, V., Chichava, V., Mataveia, A., Boane, E. and Cala, A. (2020). Medicinal plants sold for treatment of bacterial and parasitic diseases in humans in Maputo city markets, Mozambique. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 20(1), pp.1-13.
Bulte, E., & Van Kooten, G. C. (2000). Economic science, endangered species, and biodiversity loss. Conservation Biology, 14(1), 113-119.
Bwanga, O. (2020). How to conduct a qualitative systematic review to guide evidence-based practice in Radiography? International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research, 52 (1):205-213.
Dan, V. (2017). Empirical and non-empirical methods. Accessed August 08, 2021, https://www.ls1.ifkw.uni-muenchen.de/personen/wiss_ma/dan_viorela/ ....
Dar, R.A., Shahnawaz, M. and Qazi, P.H., 2017. General overview of medicinal plants: A review. The journal of phytopharmacology, 6(6), pp.349-351.
De Wet, H., Nciki, S., & van Vuuren, S. F. (2013). Medicinal plants used for the treatment of various skin disorders by a rural community in northern Maputaland, South Africa. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 9(1), 1-10.
Dzerefos, C.M. and Witkowski, E.T.F. (2001). Density and potential utilisation of medicinal grassland plants from Abe Bailey Nature Reserve, South Africa. Biodiversity & Conservation, 10(11), pp.1875-1896.
El-Wahab, R.H.A., Zaghloul, M.S., Kamel, W.M. and Moustafa, A.R.A., 2008. Diversity and distribution of medicinal plants in North Sinai, Egypt. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2(7), pp.157-171.
Ganeshaiah, K.N., Shaanker, R.U., Murali, K.S., Shankar, U & Bawa, K.S. (1998). Extraction of non-timber forest products in the forests of Biligiri Rangan Hills, India. Economic Botany, 52(3), 316-319.
Goldblatt, P. (1978). An analysis of the flora of southern Africa: its characteristics, relationships, and orgins. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, pp.369-436.
Huesemann, M. H., Bartha, R., Hausmann, T. S., & Benemann, J. R. (2003). An innovative approach for screening marine microalgae for maximum flue gas CO2 biofixation potential. In Second Annual Conference on Carbon Sequestration, US Dep. of Energy, Alexandria, Va.
Joshi, A.R. (2003). Environmental management and sustainable development at the crossroad. AnKuS.
Lambert, J., Srivastava, J. and Vietmeyer, N. (1997). Medicinal plants: rescuing a global heritage (Vol. 355). World Bank Publications.
Li, D.Z. and Pritchard, H.W. (2009). The science and economics of ex situ plant conservation. Trends in plant science, 14(11), pp.614-621.
Magoro, M.D. (2008). Traditional health practitioners and the sustainability of extinction-prone traditional indigenous plants. International Journal of African Renaissance Studies - Multi- Inter- and Transdisciplinary, 5(2):229-241.
Maluleke, W. (2020). The African scare of Fall Armyworm: Are South African farmers immune? International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Studies, 12 (1), 207-221.
Maluleke, W. and Shibambu, N.F. (2021). Exploring illegal harvesting and theft of the selected South African endangered indigenous plants on the Red data list: Case studies of rural areas. ADRRI Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 18(3 (6) October-December), pp.244-295.
Mander, M., Ntuli, L., Diederichs, N. and Mavundla, K. (2007). Economics of the traditional medicine trade in South Africa care delivery. South African health review, 2007(1), pp.189-196.
Mander, M. (1997). Medicinal plant marketing in Bushbuckridge and Mpumalanga: A market survey and recommended strategies for sustaining the supply of plants in the region. Unpublished report, Danish Cooperation for Environment and Development, Danish Environment Protection Agency, Strandgade.
Maroyi, A. (2013). Traditional use of medicinal plants in south-central Zimbabwe: review and perspectives. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 9(1), 1-18.
McGaw, L., Jager, A., Grace, O., Fennell, C. and van Staden, J. (2005). Medicinal plants. In: van Niekerk, A. (Ed.), Ethics in Agriculture An African Perspective. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 67-83.
Moeng, E.T. and Potgieter, M.J., 2011. The trade of medicinal plants by muthi shops and street vendors in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 5(4), pp.558-564.
Ndou, T.M., Stam, E.M., Tshisikhawe, M.P., Alabi, M.A. and Adeeyo, A.O. (2021). Poaching of Encephalartos transvenosus, in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Resources, 10(12), p.119.
Raimondo, D. (2009). Red list of South African plants 2009. South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Rankoana, S.A. (2018). Human perception of climate change. Weather, 73(11), pp.367-370.
Rasekgala, M.T. (2018). The ethno-ecological assessment of Cassia abbreviata Oliv. at Matsa village, Limpopo province, South Africa (Doctoral dissertation).
Slater, R., & Twyman, C. (2003). Hidden Livelihoods?: Natural Resource-dependent Livelihoods and Urban Development Policy. London: Overseas Development Institute.
Street, R. A., & Prinsloo, G. (2013). Commercially important medicinal plants of South Africa: a review. Journal of chemistry, 2013.
Tshisikhawe, M.P. and Van Rooyen, M.W. (2012). Population biology of Brackenridgea zanguebarica in the presence of harvesting. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 6(46), pp.5748-5756.
Tshisikhawe, M.P. (2002). Trade of indigenous medicinal plants in the Limpopo province, Venda region; their ethnobotanical importance and sustainable use M.Sc Thesis. University of Venda, Thohoyandou.
Van Wyk, B. E. (2011). The potential of South African plants in the development of new medicinal products. South African Journal of Botany, 77(4), 812-829.
Wiersum, K.F., Dold, A.P., Husselman, M. and Cocks, M. (2006). Cultivation of medicinal plants as a tool for biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation in the Amatola region, South Africa. Frontis, pp.43-57.
Williams, V.L., Victor, J.E. and Crouch, N.R. (2013). Red listed medicinal plants of South Africa: status, trends, and assessment challenges. South African Journal of Botany, 86, pp.23-35.
Williams, V.L. (1996). The Witwatersrand muti trade. Veld & Flora, 82(1), p.12.
Willis, C. K. (2006). Conserving South Africa's plants: a South African response to the global strategy for plant conservation. South African National Biodiversity Institute.
World Health Organization, (1993). Guidelines on the conservation of medicinal plants. Gland: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Xu, J., Xiao, P., Li, T., & Wang, Z. (2022). Research Progress on endangered plants: a bibliometric analysis. Biodiversity and Conservation, 1-23.
Yannascoli, SM., Schenker & Baldwin, K. (2013). How to write a systematic review: A step-by-step guide? Accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper ...
Zang, Z., Wu, X., Niu, Y., & Mao, G. (2020). Analysis of the contributions of human factors and natural factors affecting the vegetation pattern in coastal wetlands. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 6(1), 1827982.
Albrecht, M.A., and McCue, K.A. (2010). Changes in demographic processes over long time scales reveal the challenge of restoring an endangered plant. Restoration Ecology, 18, pp.235-243.
Amjad, M. S., Arshad, M., & Qureshi, R. (2015). Ethnobotanical inventory and folk uses of indigenous plants from Pir Nasoora National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 5(3), 234-241.
Applequist, W. L., Brinckmann, J. A., Cunningham, A. B., Hart, R. E., Heinrich, M., Katerere, D. R., & Van Andel, T. (2020). Scientistsʼ warning on climate change and medicinal plants. Planta medica, 86(01), 10-18.
Arjona-García, C., Blancas, J., Beltrán-Rodríguez, L., López Binnqüist, C., Colín Bahena, H., Moreno-Calles, A.I., Sierra-Huelsz, J.A. and López-Medellín, X. (2021). How does urbanization affect perceptions and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants?. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 17(1), pp.1-26.
BAH, (2004). Herbal medicines today: scientific knowledge and medicinal conditions; Inventory and perspectives. 4th ed. Bundesfachverband der Arneimittelhersteller (BAH), Bonn, Germany.
Barbosa, F., Hlashwayo, D., Sevastyanov, V., Chichava, V., Mataveia, A., Boane, E. and Cala, A. (2020). Medicinal plants sold for treatment of bacterial and parasitic diseases in humans in Maputo city markets, Mozambique. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 20(1), pp.1-13.
Bulte, E., & Van Kooten, G. C. (2000). Economic science, endangered species, and biodiversity loss. Conservation Biology, 14(1), 113-119.
Bwanga, O. (2020). How to conduct a qualitative systematic review to guide evidence-based practice in Radiography? International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research, 52 (1):205-213.
Dan, V. (2017). Empirical and non-empirical methods. Accessed August 08, 2021, https://www.ls1.ifkw.uni-muenchen.de/personen/wiss_ma/dan_viorela/ ....
Dar, R.A., Shahnawaz, M. and Qazi, P.H., 2017. General overview of medicinal plants: A review. The journal of phytopharmacology, 6(6), pp.349-351.
De Wet, H., Nciki, S., & van Vuuren, S. F. (2013). Medicinal plants used for the treatment of various skin disorders by a rural community in northern Maputaland, South Africa. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 9(1), 1-10.
Dzerefos, C.M. and Witkowski, E.T.F. (2001). Density and potential utilisation of medicinal grassland plants from Abe Bailey Nature Reserve, South Africa. Biodiversity & Conservation, 10(11), pp.1875-1896.
El-Wahab, R.H.A., Zaghloul, M.S., Kamel, W.M. and Moustafa, A.R.A., 2008. Diversity and distribution of medicinal plants in North Sinai, Egypt. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2(7), pp.157-171.
Ganeshaiah, K.N., Shaanker, R.U., Murali, K.S., Shankar, U & Bawa, K.S. (1998). Extraction of non-timber forest products in the forests of Biligiri Rangan Hills, India. Economic Botany, 52(3), 316-319.
Goldblatt, P. (1978). An analysis of the flora of southern Africa: its characteristics, relationships, and orgins. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, pp.369-436.
Huesemann, M. H., Bartha, R., Hausmann, T. S., & Benemann, J. R. (2003). An innovative approach for screening marine microalgae for maximum flue gas CO2 biofixation potential. In Second Annual Conference on Carbon Sequestration, US Dep. of Energy, Alexandria, Va.
Joshi, A.R. (2003). Environmental management and sustainable development at the crossroad. AnKuS.
Lambert, J., Srivastava, J. and Vietmeyer, N. (1997). Medicinal plants: rescuing a global heritage (Vol. 355). World Bank Publications.
Li, D.Z. and Pritchard, H.W. (2009). The science and economics of ex situ plant conservation. Trends in plant science, 14(11), pp.614-621.
Magoro, M.D. (2008). Traditional health practitioners and the sustainability of extinction-prone traditional indigenous plants. International Journal of African Renaissance Studies - Multi- Inter- and Transdisciplinary, 5(2):229-241.
Maluleke, W. (2020). The African scare of Fall Armyworm: Are South African farmers immune? International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Studies, 12 (1), 207-221.
Maluleke, W. and Shibambu, N.F. (2021). Exploring illegal harvesting and theft of the selected South African endangered indigenous plants on the Red data list: Case studies of rural areas. ADRRI Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 18(3 (6) October-December), pp.244-295.
Mander, M., Ntuli, L., Diederichs, N. and Mavundla, K. (2007). Economics of the traditional medicine trade in South Africa care delivery. South African health review, 2007(1), pp.189-196.
Mander, M. (1997). Medicinal plant marketing in Bushbuckridge and Mpumalanga: A market survey and recommended strategies for sustaining the supply of plants in the region. Unpublished report, Danish Cooperation for Environment and Development, Danish Environment Protection Agency, Strandgade.
Maroyi, A. (2013). Traditional use of medicinal plants in south-central Zimbabwe: review and perspectives. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 9(1), 1-18.
McGaw, L., Jager, A., Grace, O., Fennell, C. and van Staden, J. (2005). Medicinal plants. In: van Niekerk, A. (Ed.), Ethics in Agriculture An African Perspective. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 67-83.
Moeng, E.T. and Potgieter, M.J., 2011. The trade of medicinal plants by muthi shops and street vendors in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 5(4), pp.558-564.
Ndou, T.M., Stam, E.M., Tshisikhawe, M.P., Alabi, M.A. and Adeeyo, A.O. (2021). Poaching of Encephalartos transvenosus, in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Resources, 10(12), p.119.
Raimondo, D. (2009). Red list of South African plants 2009. South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Rankoana, S.A. (2018). Human perception of climate change. Weather, 73(11), pp.367-370.
Rasekgala, M.T. (2018). The ethno-ecological assessment of Cassia abbreviata Oliv. at Matsa village, Limpopo province, South Africa (Doctoral dissertation).
Slater, R., & Twyman, C. (2003). Hidden Livelihoods?: Natural Resource-dependent Livelihoods and Urban Development Policy. London: Overseas Development Institute.
Street, R. A., & Prinsloo, G. (2013). Commercially important medicinal plants of South Africa: a review. Journal of chemistry, 2013.
Tshisikhawe, M.P. and Van Rooyen, M.W. (2012). Population biology of Brackenridgea zanguebarica in the presence of harvesting. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 6(46), pp.5748-5756.
Tshisikhawe, M.P. (2002). Trade of indigenous medicinal plants in the Limpopo province, Venda region; their ethnobotanical importance and sustainable use M.Sc Thesis. University of Venda, Thohoyandou.
Van Wyk, B. E. (2011). The potential of South African plants in the development of new medicinal products. South African Journal of Botany, 77(4), 812-829.
Wiersum, K.F., Dold, A.P., Husselman, M. and Cocks, M. (2006). Cultivation of medicinal plants as a tool for biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation in the Amatola region, South Africa. Frontis, pp.43-57.
Williams, V.L., Victor, J.E. and Crouch, N.R. (2013). Red listed medicinal plants of South Africa: status, trends, and assessment challenges. South African Journal of Botany, 86, pp.23-35.
Williams, V.L. (1996). The Witwatersrand muti trade. Veld & Flora, 82(1), p.12.
Willis, C. K. (2006). Conserving South Africa's plants: a South African response to the global strategy for plant conservation. South African National Biodiversity Institute.
World Health Organization, (1993). Guidelines on the conservation of medicinal plants. Gland: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Xu, J., Xiao, P., Li, T., & Wang, Z. (2022). Research Progress on endangered plants: a bibliometric analysis. Biodiversity and Conservation, 1-23.
Yannascoli, SM., Schenker & Baldwin, K. (2013). How to write a systematic review: A step-by-step guide? Accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper ...
Zang, Z., Wu, X., Niu, Y., & Mao, G. (2020). Analysis of the contributions of human factors and natural factors affecting the vegetation pattern in coastal wetlands. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 6(1), 1827982.
Published
2022-09-13
How to Cite
Shibambu, N. F. (2022). An Exploratory Study on Contributing Factors to the Extinction of Indigenous Plants in South Africa. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 5(9), 329-340. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v5i9.620
Section
Main Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
