1st Edition

Biodiversity and Conservation of Endemic Medicinal Plants Challenges and Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystems

392 Pages 78 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

Plants underpin life on Earth, yet biodiversity is slipping away. Centring on endemic species Biodiversity and Conservation of Endemic Medicinal Plants: Challenges and Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystems reveal their unique traits, specialised habitats and vital roles in ecological networks, from pollinator partnerships to community dynamics. It evaluates conservation status against the IUCN... Read more

Chapter 1 Biodiversity and conservation of endemic medicinal plants: An overview

Aisha Abdullahi Mahmud and Abdulrahman Mahmoud Dogara

 

Chapter 2 Pachypodium namaquanum (Wyley ex Harv.) Welw. (Halfmens): Apocynaceae

Noureddine Chaachouay, Abderrahim Chaachouay, Abdelkarim El Djiri, Abderrahmaine Katiri, Darshita Sinha, Ouafae Benkhnigue, and Lahcen Zidane

 

Chapter 3 Amorphophallus titanum (Becc.) Becc. (Titan Arum): Araceae

Darshita Sinha, Noureddine Chaachouay, Bibha Shah, and Munmi Borkataky

 

Chapter 4 Lodoicea maldivica (J.F.Gmel.) Pers. (Coco de Mer): Arecaceae

Neelu Joshi, Sushil Kumar Middha, Talambedu Usha, Anshulika Upadhyaya, and Arvind Kumar Goyal

 

Chapter 5 Dracaena cinnabari Balf.f. (Dragon's Blood Tree): Asparagaceae

Abdulrahman Roshan, Shaimaa Fayez, Sherweit El-Ahmady, and Omayma Eldahshan

 

Chapter 6 Dracaena draco subsp. Ajgal Benabid & Cuzin / Dracaena ajgal (Benabid & Cuzin) Rivas Mart., Molero Mesa, Marfíl & G.Benítez (Moroccan Dragon Tree): Asparagaceae

Noureddine Chaachouay, Atena Eslami-Farouji, Abderrahim Chaachouay, Ouafae Benkhnigue, Abdelkarim El Djiri, Abderrahmaine Katiri, Soukayna Boudik, Nadia Belahbib, Jamila Dahmani, and Lahcen Zidane

 

Chapter 7 Artemisia mesatlantica Maire (Blue Mugwort): Asteraceae

Abderrahmaine Katiri, Abderrahim Chaachouay, Abdelkarim El Djiri, Jamaa Habchaoui, Soukayna Boudik, Ouafae Benkhnigue, Lahcen Zidane, and Noureddine Chaachouay

 

Chapter 8 Puya raimondii Harms (Raimondi Cove or the Queen of the Andes): Bromeliaceae

Wilsser Silva, Diego A. Sotomayor, Juan F. Seminario,and  Juan F. García-Herrera

 

Chapter 9 Boswellia sacra Flück. (Frankincense Tree): Burseraceae

Todou Gilbert, Wassingsa Thomas, Souare Konsala, and Noureddine Chaachouay

 

Chapter 10 Sequoia sempervirens (D.Don) Endl. (Coast Redwood): Cupressaceae

Atena Eslami-Farouji and Noureddine Chaachouay

 

Chapter 11 Euphorbia resinifera O.Berg (Moroccan Spurge): Euphorbiaceae

Soukayna Boudik, Ouafae Benkhnigue, Noureddine Chaachouay, Abdelkarim El Djiri, Abderrahmaine Katiri, Nadia Belahbib, Lahcen Zidane, and Dahmani Jamila

 

Chapter 12 Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgo Tree): Ginkgoaceae

Noha Fathalla, Haidy A. Abbas, Riham O. Bakr, Omayma A. Eldahshan, and Abdel Nasser Singab

 

Chapter 13 Crocus sativus L. (Saffron rocus or autumn crocus): Iridaceae

Jamaa Habchaoui, Abderrahim Chaachouay, Abdelkarim El Djiri, Abderrahmaine Katiri, and Noureddine Chaachouay

 

Chapter 14 Lavandula maroccana Murb. (Moroccan Lavender): Lamiaceae

Ashebir Awoke and Noureddine Chaachouay

 

Chapter 15 Eucalyptus regnans F.Muell. (Mountain Ash): Myrtaceae

Kikpa Bio Rose, Yarou Guera Chabi Yoro, and Noureddine Chaachouay

 

Chapter 16 Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel (Jabuticaba): Myrtaceae

Ahmet Beyatli, Noureddine Chaachouay, and Ouafae Benkhnigue

 

Chapter 17 Victoria amazonica (Poepp.) Klotzsch (Amazon Water Lily): Nymphaeaceae

Noureddine Chaachouay, Abderrahim Chaachouay, Jamaa Habchaoui, Kikpa Bio Rose, Anywar Godwin, and Ashebir Awoke

 

Chapter 18 Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Manetti ex Carrière (Atlas Cedar): Pinaceae

Abdelkarim El Djiri, Abderrahim Chaachouay, Abderrahmaine Katiri, Jamaa Habchaoui, Soukayna Boudik, Ouafae Benkhnigue, Lahcen Zidane, and Noureddine Chaachouay

 

Chapter 19 Rafflesia arnoldii R.Br. (Corpse flower or Giant padma): Rafflesiaceae

Noureddine Chaachouay, Abderrahim Chaachouay, Abdelkarim El Djiri, Jamaa Habchaoui, Abderrahmaine Katiri, Todou Gilbert, Yousra Skifa, Khaoula Labrighli, Hasna EL Bakhouch, Ouafae Benkhnigue, and Lahcen Zidane

 

Chapter 20 Sideroxylon spinosum L. (Argan Tree): Sapotaceae

El Aidi Hind, Benkhnigue Ouafae, Jbilou Abdelilah, Magri Najib, Belahbib Nadia, Zidane Lahcen, and Dahmani Jamila

 

Chapter 21 Cyphostemma juttae (Dinter & Gilg) Desc. (Tree Grape): Vitaceae

Ouafae Benkhnigue, Yousra Skifa, Khaoula Labrighli, Hasna EL Bakhouch, Abderrahim Chaachouay, Abdelkarim El Djiri, Abderrahmaine Katiri, Noureddine Chaachouay, and Lahcen Zidane

 

Chapter 22 Welwitschia mirabilis Hook.f. (Welwitschia or Tree tumbo): Welwitschiaceae

Anywar Godwin, Ssenku Jamilu, Nabatanzi Alice, Ojelel Samuel, Tugume Patience, and Noureddine Chaachouay

 

Chapter 23 The way forward for Sustainable Biodiversity and conservation of endemic medicinal plants

Aisha Abdullahi Mahmud, Abdulrahman Mahmoud Dogara, Ahmad Abubakar Saddiq, and Abdulrahman Sani Aliero

 

Chapter 24 Climate Change and Food Sovereignty: Endemic Medicinal Plants, a Vulnerable Pillar. Economic Costs and Strategies for Territorial Resilience in Morocco

Abderrahim Chaachouay, Abdelkarim El Djiri, Abderrahmaine Katiri, Noureddine Chaachouay, and Sanaa Moussalim

 

Chapter 25 The Legal and Regulatory Basis for Conserving Endemic Plant Biodiversity

Rachid Chaachouay, Abderrahim Chaachouay, and Noureddine Chaachouay

Biography

Professor Noureddine Chaachouay is a Moroccan ethnopharmacologist and botanist and is presently a member of the faculty of the École Supérieure de l’Éducation et formation de Berrechid Universite Hassan First, Settat, Morocco. He is an academic whose path was characterized by a doctorate in the field of Plant Science in 2020 at the Faculty of Sciences of Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra. Chaachouay obtained a Master's degree in Climate Change, Adaptation, and Sustainable Development and a Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences in 2016 and 2013, respectively, in addition to several pedagogical and technical diplomas in 2013. These credentials form the basis of his interdisciplinary research in plant science and environmental studies. His dissertation doctoral research, entitled Floristic and Ethnomedicinal Study of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants in the Rif Region (Northern Morocco), is an extensive study on the biodiversity and traditional applications of the local flora. The work presents the experience of his skills in botany and Phytotherapy. His life career has been focused on taxonomy of medicinal plants, ethnobotany and phytotherapy having published several scholarly articles, book chapters and editorial book “The Comprehensive Guide to Hallucinogenic Plants”. These findings are manifested in his research work, which was rather devoted to both basic sciences and applied sciences. Chaachouay is an innovative and community-based researcher who has sought the development of plant-based therapeutic knowledge in both theoretical and practical setups. He is also engaged in peer review and editorial activity thus supporting the scientific rigor and encouraging scholarly communication. His achievements have been awarded some of the greatest awards. In 2023, Hassan First University honored him as the Young Researcher of the Year on the basis of an outstanding piece of scientific research. A year later, he was awarded the Young Scientist Award (Environment) through his work in the plant study and biotechnology, given at a worldwide conference organized by Aligarh Muslim University, India. These awards highlight his critical contribution in the botanical sciences. In addition to his research interest, Chaachouay is greatly engaged in Placing Students in mentoring and enhancing sustainable development. He employs teaching the botany science, ethnopharmacology, and climatic change to prepare the upcoming generation of individuals dedicated to environmental protection.

Professor Ouafae Benkhnigue is a distinguished Moroccan botanist and ethnobotanist affiliated with the Department of Botany and Plant Ecology at the Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University of Rabat (Morocco). She is a member of the Flora of Morocco research team, where she actively contributes to the revision of the vascular flora of Morocco, the systematic and taxonomic updating of taxa in the National Herbarium (RAB), the restoration of herbarium specimens, and the enrichment of the collection through the integration of rare and endemic species. She also serves on the Editorial Committee of the Scientific Institute’s publications (Life Sciences section) and regularly participates in peer review and scientific writing activities. Her research spans a wide range of disciplines, including taxonomy, systematics, plant ecology, floristics, ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, remote sensing, biotechnology, and environmental sciences. She actively participates in the scientific valorization of Moroccan aromatic and medicinal flora, where she conducts studies on its diversity, traditional use, and active constituents. Professor Ouafae Benkhnigue is a member of the Organization of the Phyto-Taxonomic Investigation of the Mediterranean Area (OPTIMA) in other nations. Her paradigm of study is based on the interdependence of science, cultural heritage, and sustainable development, and, therefore, promotes new approaches to protect the biodiversity and manage the environment, often with a collaborative effort with the locals. She has written and lectured a significant amount of literature on the topic of plant diversity and ecology, conservation intervention, ecological management, and the prestige of aromatic and medicinal plants, both nationally and internationally. Ouafae Benkhnigue is engaged in active research and development of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Morocco and in the Mediterranean in general through her scientific and collaborative work.

Zidane Lahcen is a botanist and ecologist, a Professor of higher education in the Faculty of Biology at Ibn Tofail University in Kénitra, Morocco, where he has been teaching and conducting research since 1991. His scientific studies focus mainly on floristics, flora ecology, ethnobotany, and ethnopharmacology, with a special focus on how botanical knowledge can be used in agriculture, biotechnology, and valorisation of the medicinal and aromatic plant Moroccan flora. Professor Lahcen is also recognized as an authority in environmental sciences, particularly in the implications of climate change on the environment and the biogeographical influence of plant taxa, thereby contributing to the understanding of ecological dynamics and informing approaches to conserving biodiversity. Being a true believer of scientific training, he has overseen more than twenty doctoral students all of whom have been good at defending dissertations in various fields such as ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, floristics and plant ecology and ecotourism just to name a few and this shows just how important he has been in molding new generations of scholars and in the spread of botanical and ecological knowledge. He, also, leads a national program aimed to the inventories and conservation of plant species in Morocco, and other efforts include georeferencing botanical biodiversity, discovering endangered taxa and advocating their conservation. Due to his contribution in science and pedagogy, professor Lahcen holds a central role on issues of sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and advancement of environmental sciences in Morocco.