Medicinal Plant Use by Rural Communities Adjacent to Cross River National Park: Ethnobotanical Documentation

Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants among forest-fringe communities in the South South zone of Nigeria represents an important but rapidly eroding cultural and ecological resource. This study documents the ethnobotanical knowledge and medicinal plant utilisation patterns of communities adjacent to Cross River National Park, focusing on five villages in Akamkpa Local Government Area. Structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 150 respondents including traditional healers, farmers, and market traders, using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Plants were collected, pressed, and identified with the assistance of a herbarium taxonomist. A total of 94 plant species from 48 families were documented as used for medicinal purposes, with Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae being the most represented families. The most frequently cited conditions treated included malaria, gastrointestinal disorders, skin infections, and reproductive ailments. Use value indices and informant consensus factors were computed to rank species by cultural significance. Roots were the most harvested plant part, followed by leaves and bark. Wild harvesting from the park accounted for 61% of collection events, raising sustainability concerns given increasing extraction pressure. This study highlights the urgent need for in situ conservation of high-use species and argues for integration of traditional ecological knowledge into park management planning. Domestication of the ten highest-use species on community farms is recommended as an immediate intervention. Keywords: ethnobotany, medicinal plants, Cross River National Park, traditional knowledge, community conservation