“Grey” literature (e.g., NGO reports, case studies, non-detriment studies; project documents etc. (not necessarily peer-reviewed))
Sustainable management of Pelargonium sidoides in South Africa and Lesotho
Unknown/not recorded
Is the species endemic HIDE
Yes
Population Status
Unknown/not recorded
No formal international protection in place
National Level
Formal national protection in place
In late 2011, the South African Department of Environment Affairs (DEA) finalized the Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) for P. sidoides’s based on the previous research.
Population Trend
Unknown/not recorded
Sub-national Level
Unknown/not recorded
Name
Emma Hemmerlé
Scientific Name
Pelargonium sidoides
Common Name(s)
South African geranium
Type of Use
Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)
If extractive, for the target species, is this use
Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of
Only parts or products of the organism (e.g., feathers, leaves, branches, eggs, nuts)
Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?
Unknown/not recorded
Purpose of Use
Basic subsistence (meeting day to day essential needs)
Income generation from trade at individual or household or community
Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Additional Details (if available)
The plant’s root tubers have been used medicinally in southern Africa for many years, providing relief for colic, diarrhoea and dysentery. Although the benefit of this remedy has been known for many years, it is only since about 2001 that larger-scale commercial wild harvesting of the lingo-tubers commenced in South Africa and more recently in Lesotho, to supply a growing international market for commercially produced remedies to treat upper respiratory tract conditions.
What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?
Provide Details of resource rights regime where relevant
the existence of an unregulated and undocumented industry for P. sidoides in Lesotho was revealed, while other sources reported illegal harvesting of the species from protected areas within South Africa