PJB-2021-156
A review of threatened plant species utilization, conservation status and distribution in the Vhembe biosphere reserve, Limpopo province, South Africa
Luambo Jeffrey Ramarumo, Alfred Maroyi, Milingoni Peter Tshisikhawe and Wilfred Otang-Mbeng
Abstract
Scientific evidence suggests that threatened plants are disappearing at an alarming rate. Over the last decades, governments spending on the fight against species extinction have immensely increased and therefore it is estimated to exceed US$7.1 billion per annum. However, the rate of species extinction worldwide is increasing rapidly, with no indications of slowing down soon. Scientific scholars, including botanists, ethnobotanists, economic-botanists, conservationists, and anthropologists, share common interest about the use of indigenous knowledge for livelihoods, scientific and economic growth. As a result, there is a growing interest on indigenous knowledge research, particularly involving utilization and conservation of plant species. Given the fact that recent scientific evidence suggests that such studies are lacking in South African Biosphere Reserves, there is a burning need to critically review literature about threatened plant species utilization, conservation status and distribution in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. A literature search was conducted using various keywords in various electronic databases. The review findings demonstrate that Brackenridgea zanguebarica, Prunus africana, Rhychosia vendae and Warbugia salutaris are known to be utilized for medicinal purpose in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, and their conservation status range from Vulnerable to Critical Endangered. So far, none of the literature study conducted in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve has specified the ailments that P. africana, R. vendae and W. salutaris treat. Literature studies reported information about the distribution of threatened plant species, either in the Vhembe Region, at the national level or elsewhere. However, none of these studies have documented spatial information related to the exact locality of the above-mentioned species, except for B. zanguebarica. This was the first review to provide insights above utilized threatened plant species, their conservation status and distribution, since the establishment of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in 2009
To Cite this article:
Ramarumo, L.J., A. Maroyi, M.P. Tshisikhawe and W.O. Mbeng. 2024. A review of threatened plant species utilization, conservation status and distribution in the Vhembe biosphere reserve, Limpopo province, South Africa. Pak. J. Bot., 56(1): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2024-1(12)
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