The Conservator General of National Park Service, Dr. Ibrahim Goni, has drawn attention to the importance of the preservation and conservation of Nigeria’s ecosystem, noting that biodiversity is essential to traditional, complementary and alternative medicine practice in the country.
Goni said this at the first Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) Conference held in Abuja recently by the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady of the Federation. In his goodwill message at the conference, Goni remarked that Nigeria is blessed with about 8,000 species of plants, out of which 128 are indigenous to the country. He added that most of these plants are held in Nigeria’s Seven National Parks and the newly approved 10 national parks.
He further stated that the rich collection of plant species is an important input in the development TCAM in the country, noting that TCAM is cheap and easily accessible, hence when properly harnessed will make a significant contribution to the effective health care delivery in the country. The Conservator-General commended the First Lady, Dr Aisha Buhari and the Health Ministry for the initiative. The high point of the occasion was the inspection of stands by the First Lady where some traditional medicine and indigenous plants were on display.