Marking World Wildlife Day, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) joined global partners in highlighting the vital relationship between nature and human wellbeing under this year’s theme: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods.
For millions of people living in rural and peri-urban communities, traditional medicine — commonly known as muthi — remains one of the most trusted and accessible forms of healthcare. These practices are deeply rooted in indigenous knowledge systems that have informed healing traditions for generations and continue to influence modern medicine today.
However, many medicinal plant species are increasingly under threat from climate change, habitat loss and unsustainable harvesting. While some plants are cultivated, many are still collected from the wild, placing growing pressure on already vulnerable ecosystems.
One example is African ginger (Siphonochilus aethiopicus), widely used in traditional healing but now classified as Critically Endangered after disappearing from large parts of its natural range due to overharvesting. The species is now legally protected and requires permits for harvesting.
The decline of medicinal plants carries consequences beyond biodiversity loss. Reduced access to these species directly affects healthcare options, cultural continuity and income opportunities for traditional healers who rely on plant-based remedies to support their communities and families.
Through its Voices of Indigenous Communities on Environmental Sustainability (VOICES) project, funded by the UK Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and implemented with Nature Speaks and Responds, the EWT is working alongside traditional healers to better understand sustainable plant use and strengthen inclusion in conservation decision-making.
The initiative recognises traditional healing as a living knowledge system — shaped by culture, place and intergenerational learning — and seeks to ensure indigenous voices help guide environmental governance and policy development.
Beyond conservation, the project also examines how legal and regulatory frameworks affect healers’ ability to access medicinal plants responsibly, helping identify practical solutions that balance biodiversity protection with sustainable livelihoods.
As global attention turns to World Wildlife Day, conservationists are calling for stronger collaboration between environmental stakeholders and indigenous knowledge holders, recognising that protecting medicinal plants ultimately safeguards both ecosystems and community wellbeing.
When nature is protected, health, heritage and livelihoods are protected too.
