On 15th August the IITA Forest Project’s new forest resource garden was formally accepted as a Sacred Seeds Sanctuary http://www.sacredseedssanctuary.org/gardens/iita-forest-reserve-ethnobotanical-garden. This global network of gardens, which is run by the William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden (USA), aims to protect and propagate indigenous plants that are of importance in traditional culture, health and welfare. It is the third garden in Africa to become a Sacred Seeds Sanctuary, the other being in Ambalabe, Madagascar, and the Forest School for Traditional Health Practitioners (PROMETRA), Uganda.
The garden is for education, training, and conservation, encouraging research into cultivation, propagation, and sustainable utilization of Yorubaland’s flora. An orchard of forest fruit trees was planted last year. It is not yet open to visitors but watch this space for a grand opening next year!