Creation of medicinal plant gardens by traditional healers

at the UNESCO biosphere reserve at “Kruger to Canyons”

The UNESCO biosphere reserve has worked together with traditional healers for many years. This project will support the creation of large medicinal plant gardens in which medicinal plants will be grown under natural conditions possible. This type of "medicinal plant garden" can also be used then as centers and meeting areas for the group of traditional healers.

Merck will begin supporting this project with each Titripac^® sold starting in April 2010. 50 euro cents for each package sold will be used to sponsor the creation of this medicinal plant garden.

Up to now, a group of about 80 traditional healers has been cooperating on a project that seeks to implement elements of “Access and Benefit Sharing“ (ABS) in the area. The term ABS derives from the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and contains the objective that local communities in developing countries should have an adequate share in profits received from patents based on biological resources in that country.

The healers have also been trained in how to sustainably grow medicinal plants and taught about intellectual property rights. A "biocultural protocol" has been formulated through a participative process that will lead to simplify healer’s negotiations with researchers and companies. The project supported by Merck will enable the healers to enter into negotiations with private lodges to obtain “carbon offsets” from tourists that might in turn safeguard the financial sustainability of the medicinal plant gardens. The feasibility studies supported by Merck will also point to the most suitable places where such medicinal plant gardens might be developed, in terms of logistical and biological preferences.