Tradition and conservation: Users' perceptions of traditional pharmacopoeia in West African protected areas

We aim to highlight the social importance of traditional pharmacopoeia in nature parks across four West African countries: Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, and Guinea-Bissau. Our approach involved conducting field surveys and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, along with a review of scientific literature. This qualitative method allowed us to gain a thorough understanding of the values, uses, and challenges related to traditional pharmacopoeia in these regions. The results show that traditional pharmacopoeia plays a vital role in community life, especially in protected areas such as Niumi (The Gambia), Diawling (Mauritania), Sangomar, Joal, Abéné (Senegal), and João Vieira Poilão (Guinea-Bissau), where it often serves as the primary healing method for various endemic diseases. Over 60% of respondents use traditional pharmacopoeia to treat different ailments, with higher usage rates in remote areas like Abéné, Diawling, Niumi, and João Vieira Poilão compared to peri-urban areas like Joal and Sangomar. This variation is influenced by cultural, environmental, economic, and regulatory factors. Access to plants needed for traditional pharmacopoeia recipes is more limited near urban parks, leading to a gradual loss of cultural heritage and a decline in traditional healing practices. Therefore, nature parks should better incorporate the ecological services provided by plants for pharmacopoeia into their conservation strategies, aligning environmental protection with the preservation of valuable traditional practices.