OLIVIER Marc, Ethnobotanist
« Doctor of Science in Biology – Health (University of Montpellier, France), I have been working as an ethnobotanist in West Africa since 1997, mainly in Burkina Faso where I spend 9 to 10 months each year, for my independent research office, called «Sama Bioconsult», to carry out numerous activities related to African plants and Tradition :
- Fundamental studies in the field, in contact with holders of traditional knowledge, allowing the recording of knowledge formerly transmitted orally, these projects being carried out in partnership with institutes (IRD) or universities (University of Ouagadougou).
- Development of plant value chains for cosmetics, parapharmacy, traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia, plant dyes, etc., which could become sources of income and help protect Burkina Faso’s remarkable biodiversity.
- Management of projects related to traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia, in particular as technical advisor and then national coordinator of the PHAVA project, a project to support traditional health practitioners, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Environment and associations of traditional health practitioners.
- Association projects linked to Tradition ou au local development.
In the projects I set up for my partners, I try to reconcile research methods and traditional African knowledge, but also respect for local communities and the environment. It’s also important for me to integrate local economic development and benefit-sharing to build a new model where human relations count as much as the scientific approach, halfway between modernism and tradition…
Since 1997 I have also supervised several students in the field of ethnobotany and have given lectures and courses at various international conferences and universities.
I’m also President of the Association Nature et Culture Burkina, le Co-Founder of the International Tree Forum. and Co-Founder of the International Africa & Beauty Forum, which has been held regularly since 2004 in Burkina Faso, then in Morocco and Senegal.. The last forum was held in in France in Orleans at the beginning of October 2024. I am also Co-President of the Jardins du Monde association. 
I remain available to tell you more and to work with you, do not hesitate to contact me directly, see you soon ».
OLIVIER Marc