The Useful Plants of Uganda: Conserving Socio-economically Valuable Plant Species Using Important Plant Areas (IPAs).

O’Sullivan, Florence; Richards, Sophie L.; Kalema, James; Ojelel, Samuel; Darbyshire, Iain

The Useful Plants of Uganda: Conserving Socio-economically Valuable Plant Species Using Important Plant Areas (IPAs).

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Journal article

Creator (person)

O’Sullivan, Florence

Richards, Sophie L.

Kalema, James

Ojelel, Samuel

Darbyshire, Iain

Date published

February 25, 2025

Abstract

Accelerating anthropogenic pressures threaten over two in five plant species globally with extinction, with an estimated 21% of threatened species on the IUCN Red List holding socio-economic value, imperiling species vital for global health. Important Plant Areas (IPAs) is an area-based conservation tool that recognizes the importance of useful species for human well-being and livelihoods. This study aims to identify hotspots of useful plants in Uganda using criterion B(iii) of the IPA framework. A comprehensive checklist of useful plants is presented, identifying 1,037 species with known human uses, equating to over one-fifth of vascular plant diversity in Uganda. A species richness analysis reveals a potential IPA network with 54 cells triggered using criterion B(iii). While Uganda’s current protected area network contains a significant percentage (55%) of species on the useful plant checklist, the top 15 cells capture a higher number of species (59%) in a quarter of the total land area of the protected area network. Concerningly, 56% of Uganda’s crop wild relatives are not recorded from the existing protected areas. Threatened and endemic species distribution correlates significantly with useful plant distribution, suggesting that countries with IPAs based upon threatened and endemic species could also capture useful plants.