Today, we asked Mohamed, sustainable landscaper from Cairo, two questions on why and how to grow endemic plants at local levels – plants that are found only in one region of the world.
Mohamed, why are the so-called « landrace » endemic species of plants so important today?
Endemic species represent a genetic diversity which is crucial to preserve, especially in a global area where food consumption and lifestyles tend are becoming the standard, leading to a reduction of the species of plants we grow. Also, most of the endemic species have always had positive impacts on local people and environments: on individuals (for example, plants that can cure health issues), on community & society (for example, traditional skills that are needed to grow them; local wisdom on when and where to pick them up; knowledge on how to cook them, etc.) and also on natural biodiversity (for example, plants that provide habitat and food to insects relying on them, such as bees). Preserving those superplants is to preserve all of the above.
How can we encourage more people to grow such forgotten endemic species of plants?
First, we all can ask the locals around us about those beneficial local plants. What I did first was to create a survey, with simple questions, for the elderly people of my neighbourhood in Cairo: this is how I started gathering local wisdom on two or three traditional plants and on their multiple benefits for Egyptians. To focus on these kinds of plants is also a good incentive to engage in community-level food cultivation, as they represent and embody the specificities and knowledge of the given communities. Finally, all bioregions of the world have endemic species, which are generally the best adapted to their environments, and at the same time providing the most to their environment: in that sense, these plants are at the centre of any climate change challenges worldwide and should be included in the work of those who tackle them.
Fellows in the article: Mohamed Aljammal
Impact Areas: Climate change, biodiversity, community development
Author: Frantz Dhers
