ANNEX 1
Management Response to the Terminal Evaluation Report for the Project “Conservation and
Sustainable Use of Traditional Medicinal Plants in Zimbabwe”
Key Recommendations
1.
2.
Agreement
The results of the tests of the efficacy of the medicinal Agreed
plants conducted by the University of Zimbabwe should be
appropriately packaged and communicated to community
groups so that these community groups can focus their
conservation efforts on those plants that will yield benefits
to them.
Project Response
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management
(MENRM) have already communicated the results to the key
stakeholders at two provincial workshops. Appropriate packaging
of the results is now to be made so that the results are user friendly
to community groups.
Further investigations are required for plants that were found to
have potential in the development of traditional medicine. The
MENRM has already passed on the information to the Ministry of
Health with recommendations for further laboratory tests.
The University of Zimbabwe claims that the tests they have
conducted on traditional medicinal plants are a first of its Agreed
kind in zimbabwe and possible in the Southern African
region. Some useful pointers towards the efficacy of
traditional medicines used by practitioners have been
identified creating grounds for the conduct of further
laboratory tests to establish which plants deserve further
attention towards the development of medicines that meet
internationally accepted standards.
The Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) need to either invest Agreed
in these further tests or identify funding sources to continue
with this work. In furthering this process of enquiry, care
should be taken to protect the intellectual property rights of
producer communities.
The GoZ is in the process of identifying funding sources to ensure
that further laboratory studies are conducted on all outstanding
tests. A legal framework aimed at protecting property rights of
producer communities has since been developed and Gazetted and
is ready for implementation
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3.
4.
The economic meltdown in Zimbabwe has resulted in large Agreed
sections of the population being unable to afford
conventional allopathic medicines.
Evidence from
interviews conducted with community groups participating
in the project indicate that more and more people,
including those that previously did not use traditional
medicine, are now making use of this alternative system.
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism, in Agreed
collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Child
Welfare and Justice, should conclude the legislative
processes aimed at institutionalizing and formalizing
traditional medicine as an alternative/parallel system in the
medical delivery systems of Zimbabwe.
Approximately 80% of the population of Zimbabwe depends on
traditional medicine to meet their health needs. It is important to
ensure that the use of traditional medicine is supported so that
people can benefit from its availability
As more people resort to using traditional medicines in Agreed
Zimbabwe, the potential market for traditional medicines
increases making it possible for producer communities to
establish viable enterprises aimed at commercializing these
medicines.
Producer communities however lack
appropriate skills and resources to facilitate the growth of
such enterprises and will therefore need assistance.
Government should assist producer communities with the Agreed
identification of partners for the development of this
growing potential industry. Appropriate incentives should
be provided for in policy to encourage the private sector to
invest in these activities.
The current market for traditional medicines in urban areas is small
and needs to be developed through educating people on the value
traditional medicine in strengthening the medical delivery systems
of Zimbabwe.
As traditional medicine continues to grow in importance as
well as in its role as an entry point into biodiversity Agreed
conservation there is a need to ensure that conservation
practices developed by the Medicinal Plants Project are
adopted and assimilated into district planning processes.
Five local authorities in Zimbabwe which were the project sites
have started incorporating conservation principles developed by the
project in their development plans. There is however need to ensure
that these principles are adopted by all local authorities in the
country.
The Government has already developed a national policy on
traditional medicine which now needs implementation and a
Department of Traditional Medicine has been established within the
Ministry of Health.
GoZ is encouraging private sector to play a role in the conservation
of medicinal plants and development of traditional medicine.
Strategies need to be developed to make private sector have an
interest in medicinal plants biodiversity conservation.
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5.
6.
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This way, the project will improve its potential for
attracting additional sources of funding and the results
generated to date will not be lost.
District planning processes should incorporate the Agreed
conservation of traditional medicines as a way of managing
biodiversity and other resources that community groups
depend upon for their livelihoods. UNDP/GEF should also
take stock of the lessons emanating from this project and
use them to inform similar processes in other parts of the
world.
Five rural district councils – Chimanimani, Chipinge, Bulilima,
Matobo and Mangwe have started incorporating conservation of
medicinal plants biodiversity in their planning processes. The
lessons learnt from project implementation will be used in the
development of similar projects in Zimbabwe and in the region.
Lesson learnt will be disseminated in the UNDP networks.
The implementation of the Medicinal Plants Project has Agreed
suffered from less than optimal administrative support
from UNDP Zimbabwe. This has resulted in delays in
project implementation and re realization of results.
It is accepted that all institutions have procedures that need Agreed
to be adhered to but UNDP need to develop adaptive
management systems to use in reacting to the political and
economic situations similar to what was obtained on the
ground in Zimbabwe during the implementation of the
project.
Experience and Lessons Learnt
The completed CO re-alignment process has improved the
administrative support rendered to projects.
The political and economic environment in Zimbabwe particularly
the high inflation experienced made project implementation
difficult and failure of the UNDP payment system as the system
failed to accommodate the zeros resulting from the depreciation of
the local currency. Lessons were drawn from the in-country
situation to inform future UNDP rules and procedures.
1) Stakeholder participation in the planning and implementation of
projects is time consuming but is important in ensure project
sustainability
2) Projects involving cultivation of indigenous trees require long
period of implementation for full results to be realized.
3) Biodiversity conservation projects need to have a production
component which provides immediate benefits to participating
communities so that communities are motivated to continue
participating in such programs.
4) Some plants studied have potential global benefits since they
wee found to have potential for treating AIDS related
opportunistic infections. But more time and resources are
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required to support further studies to establish their full
potential and effectiveness.
5) Constant project monitoring, provision of technical
backstopping and community mobilization by extension
workers are required to ensure successful implementation of
projects. This is particularly so in biodiversity conservation
projects whose benefits in most cases are in the distant future.
6) Marketing of medicinal plants products are difficult in rural
areas. Communities seem to prefer sourcing of medicinal plants
products from their family practitioners and getting them direct
from the forests
7) An appropriate political and economic environment is
necessary for the for the successful implementation of the
projects. Implementing partners in the NGO sector failed to
implement their planned activities as they were note allowed to
visit rural communities for political reasons. On the economic
front purchases of materials required for project implementation
could not be effected due to the high inflation which resulted in
daily price changes making quotations sourced meaningless.
During the final year of the project all payments had to be
suspended during the fourth quarter as the UNDP payment
system failed to accommodate the zeros resulting from the
depreciation of the Zimbabwean dollar
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