Volume 15, October 2015, Pages 103–112
Highlights
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- Herbal medicine practise remains a key rural healthcare alternative.
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- Restructured medicinal plant governance can provide multiple community benefits.
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- Medicinal plants afforestation may be an affordable local climate adaptation strategy.
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- Development of indigenous medical tourism could enhance rural income generation.
Abstract
Studies
indicate that medicinal plants are threatened by climate change
impacts. In Kenya, this sector is further threatened by lack of formal
recognition and neglect of indigenous curative knowledge by the
allopathic healthcare and education sectors. Though a significant
reduction of medicinal plants and knowledge could increase vulnerability
in rural areas, few studies have analysed governance of this important
ecosystem service. Therefore, I use the ecosystem service governance
approach that incorporates monetary valuation, climate governance and
social network analysis to holistically assess the herbal medicinal
sector in Loitoktok district. Findings reveal the lucrative income
earned by herbalists, diverse coping measures implemented to sustain
local supply of medicinal plants and the disassociated social network
structure that hinders capacity development, promotes illegal medicinal
plants' trade and perpetuates negative view of herbal medicine. To
resolve these structural hindrances, my suggestion is to use the network
weaving process to optimally position the medicinal plants sector in
enhancing carbon sequestration, poverty alleviation, medical tourism,
plant conservation and the Maasai culture.
Keywords
- Carbon sequestration;
- Ecosystem governance;
- Indigenous curative knowledge;
- Medicinal plants;
- Monetary valuation;
- Social network analysis;
- Kenya
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.
