XVI International Botanical Congess

Production of baskets (mainly by women) and woodcarvings (almost solely by men) in tropical and sub-tropical Africa is an important income earning opportunity for rural people. Fine quality craftmanship is kept alive through commercial trade, much of it for international tourist or export markets.as long as the favoured resource species are available. In many cases however, the most favoured hardwood species (eg: Brachylaena huillensis, Polyscias fulva, Dalbergia melanoxylon) and dye sources (eg: Berchemia discolor) and to a lesser extent, palm fibre for basketry (eg: Hyphaene petersiana) are depleted to support this international trade. This paper reviews the African crafts industry and the ecological footprint of the international trade on local plant resources and livelihoods, giving examples of positive steps that are being taken to improve the situation for the future.