Invited Keynote Speaker(s)
Mr Cyril Lombard
Mr Lombard is a leading expert in the biotrade and natural products sector, with over three decades of experience working at the interface of indigenous knowledge, community-based enterprises, and global markets across Southern Africa.
Key Highlights
- Commercial marula oil development in Southern Africa
- Founder of the Southern African Marula Oil Producers’ Network
- Leadership roles at PhytoTrade Africa, including CEO (2013–2016)
- Advisory, research, and fundraising roles across the biotrade sector
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Invited Keynote Speakers
Prof Tony Cunningham
Presents on :
11 August 2025
Prof Annah Moteetee
Presents on :
12 August 2025
Prof Anthony Afolayan
Presents on :
14 August 2025
Message from the Chairman
– Ben-Erik van Wyk
As we continue to strengthen the field of Indigenous Plant Use, this year’s theme, “Translating Indigenous Insight into Innovation and Commercial Value,” invites us to consider how knowledge can be further developed and applied. Indigenous plant wisdom has guided communities for generations; our task now is to support its transition into practical applications that create opportunities, strengthen livelihoods, and encourage responsible industry growth.
This meeting offers an important space to reflect on how research, community knowledge, cultivation, product development, and policy can work together. I look forward to the discussions, research findings, and partnerships that will guide the sector toward approaches that are both sustainable and beneficial to knowledge holders and the people who rely on these resources.
May our time together at Karridene Beach inspire thoughtful collaboration, foster new perspectives, and lead to meaningful progress. Your contributions remain central to the continued growth of this field, and we look forward to the outcomes that will emerge from this year’s engagement.
Significance of the Conference
Since 1993, the Indigenous Plant Use Forum (IPUF) has remained a central meeting point for advancing the sustainable use of southern Africa’s plant resources. Supported by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF), IPUF continues to champion an approach that honours cultural knowledge and transformation while promoting scientific development, community benefit, and long-term resource stewardship.
IPUF 2026 (the 28th annual conference in its present format) builds on this foundation by focusing on the next stage of the journey: turning knowledge into meaningful action. The theme, “Translating Indigenous Insight into Innovation and Commercial Value,” highlights a growing need to move beyond documentation and research toward practical outcomes that comply with local ethical and legal obligations, support livelihoods, responsible industry growth, and evidence-based policy. Indigenous plant knowledge offers proven solutions for health, nutrition, agriculture, and conservation; the challenge now is to develop pathways that link this knowledge to sustainable commercial and developmental opportunities without generating unrealistic expectations. It seems that the time has come to move from a product-driven approach to a market-driven approach to Research and Development strategies.
The annual forum brings together a diverse group of contributors—researchers, traditional healers, entrepreneurs, conservationists, policymakers, and practitioners—each playing a crucial role in shaping the future of Indigenous Plant Use. This multidisciplinary engagement ensures that discussions are grounded in science, cultural integrity, and economic potential, allowing participants to explore how innovative cultivation systems, value chain development, quality control, product formulation, and policy frameworks can strengthen the sector.
As we gather at the Protea Hotel Karridene Beach, KwaZulu-Natal (39 km south of Durban, 16 to 20 August), the 2026 conference will encourage attendees to consider how Indigenous knowledge can be transformed into responsible innovation that benefits communities, supports biodiversity, and creates new economic possibilities. By fostering collaboration and forward-thinking dialogue, IPUF 2026 aims to contribute towards charting a future where traditional insight and modern practice work together to unlock lasting value for southern Africa’s flora and the people who depend on it.
QUESTIONS?
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