The Associate Program on Ethnobiology, Economic Botany and Plant Inventory will conduct an interdisciplinary ethobiological survey and establish inventory of plants in selected study areas using the Computerized Information System of African Medicinal Plants (CISAMAP). This database will include information on local names, traditional uses, floristic data, constituents, conservation status, agronomic data and economic value. CISAMAP will link interactively all ICBG inventories and other regional databases. The Associate Program will undertake plant collection from ethnomedical uses, biodiversity plots and randomly from wild flora for screening. A prioritized list of plants recommended for collection and further studies will be generated using a strategy which combines the results of evaluation of the ethnobotanical information, computerized literature search and chemotaxonomic considerations. Voucher specimen of plants collected will be deposited at host country herbaria. The Afrimed database will be expanded to include plant collection during the proposed period. The Associate Program will also conduct a socioeconomic value assessment of the biological resources in the study area which seeks to quantify commercial and non-commercial value of forest products for comparison with other land use options as well as providing income to local resident. Assistance will be provided for capacity building of West African scientists through formal training in the areas of ethnobotany, field taxonomy, inventory, economic value assessment and research management. AP-5 will establish and maintain mechanism for equitable distribution of benefits through Trust Fund and in accordance with the Benefit Sharing Plan of the ICBG. The Associate Program will also foster a linkage between the ICBG and other regional bioprospecting projects such as ASCOPAP and OAU/STRC.
