This project intends to restore degraded quarry site with Alchonea cordifolia, a pioneer plant species which is also of medicinal uses. The aim of the project is to promote cutting cultivation of Alchonea cordifolia, for the ecological and socio-economic restoration of degraded land at Beposo quarry to restore vegetation, recreate habitat and provide food for local wildlife in order to improve ecological productivity, biodiversity conservation and also to empower local people on its medicinal uses and other importance to improve human livelihoods.

Alconea cordifolia commonly known as Christmas bush is a very prized herbaceous shrub and one of the pioneer plant species which succeeds lands that have undergone disturbances. It has the potential to withstand harsh conditions both physically and naturally and recovers quickly after being disturbed.   Alchonea cordifolia is a multipurpose shrub which has almost each part of its entire plant body solving a particular problem. The fresh leaves are used as an infusion for treating sexually transmitted disease or venereal diseases as well as female sterility, for respiratory problems such as bronchitis, cough and sore throat, for intestinal diseases such as gastric ulcer, diarrhoea and amoebic dysentery, also as enema or clysters for purgatives and also emetic when overdosed. It is used as blood purifier for treating epilepsy, anaemia and tachycardia.  The leaves are used as forage for small ruminants and poultry. Other parts of the plant body are of several importances to improve biodiversity and human lives.

Activities involved in the project include;

LAND PREPARATION: Where the top soil of the over bedding stripped and deposited at one side of the site will be used to recover the land. The land will then be leveled and mulched as it awaits transplanting to maintain soil moisture thus prevent compaction.

PROPAGATION: This involves nursing where nursery medium will be prepared with a mixture of vermiculite and coco peat. This will be followed by cutting treatment where the cuttings will be treated with seaweed-based liquid and root hormone to strengthen it and enhance the chance of rooting respectively. The cutting is then nursed and transplanting and irrigation follows after the next four to six weeks.

EMPOWERMENT OF LOCAL PEOPLE: Education through focus group discussions and advertisement will be carried out to inspire and encourage local people on the medicinal uses and other purposes of Alconea cordifolia to improve upon human health.