Medicine for the cure
It is well known that there are plants that save
lives; the question now is who saves these plants from over- exploitation,
habitat loss and a host of other threats.
Every year, about half a million tonnes of dried medicinal and aromatic
plants (MAP) are traded internationally, and an unknown but substantial quantity
is traded on national and local markets.
More than 50% of the plants are harvested from the wild, and the demand for MAPs
is increasing world-wide. Coupled with land conversion and habitat degradation
in many regions, it means around a quarter of such species are under threat.
“About 15,000 of the estimated 50,000 – 70,000 plant species used for
medicine, cosmetics or dietary supplements are threatened,” says Susanne
Honnef, Head of TRAFFIC’s Medicinal Plant Programme.
WWF, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), their
joint affiliate, the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, BfN and partners
have set up an initiative directed to "Saving Plants that Save Lives and
Livelihoods". The initiative was highlighted at the Ninth Conference of the
Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with the release of a
new film on the issue
In many developing countries, wild-collected plants provide the only
effective medicine for the majority of the rural population, because other forms
of medication are either unavailable or unaffordable. In richer countries, many
people have rediscovered the benefits of natural medicine.
New guidance on harvesting
Adding consumer demand to traditional demand, however, is a key factor behind
over-exploitation and illegal harvest and trade in wild plants. Teaming up with
the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), the three groups began
work in 2004 on an International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP).
“Published in early 2007, this standard now provides companies,
governments, resource managers and other stakeholders in the MAP sector a
specific guidance tool to develop sustainable use management systems for MAP
collected from the wild,” said Uwe Schippmann, Head of the Plant Conservation
Section of BfN.
Traditional plants, traditional peoples
Central to ISSC-MAP are the customary rights of local communities and
indigenous peoples, and the establishment of benefit sharing agreements over
genetic resources and management responsibility, reinforced by adherence to such
concepts as prior informed consent (PIC) and mutually agreed terms (MAT).
The “Saving Plants that Save Lives and Livelihoods”, supported by the
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has
started implementing ISSC-MAP in projects world-wide. Projects, operating under
a variety of conditions and organizational structures, are underway in Brazil,
Cambodia, India, Lesotho, Nepal and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and with alternative
funding, in China and the Ukraine.
In the tropical Amazon region for example, a women's group that has struggled
for sustainable harvesting of local plants for years will use ISSC-MAP within
their project and check potential links to other standards relevant in the
region.
Nepal, with its amazing variety of ecosystems from the Terai lowlands in the
south to the world's highest peaks in the north, is home to an astounding plant
diversity, with more than 1,500 plant species used for medicinal purposes. Like
in India, community forest management structures are often already in place,
which is a good starting point for ISSC-MAP implementation.
For several collectors in Lesotho, wild collection of Pelargonium is the only
source of cash income. This species has been highly valued for its healing power
in fighting cold and other "winter" infections. The development of
management systems involving all relevant actors are urgently needed to ensure
the long term survival of the species.
“We are happy to see the ISSC-MAP being adapted to local contexts and used on
the ground. Several governments, communities, forestry departments and companies
have shown a keen interest to support the ISSC-MAP and promote its uptake in
their countries” says Frank Fass-Metz, Head of Division Environment and
Sustainable Use of Natural Resources of BMZ.
“This will help the development of capacity-building, technology transfer,
and financial support programmes to assist developing countries with the
implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).”
According to Jane Smart, Head of IUCN’s Species Programme: “ISSC-MAP is
an excellent toolkit that can help contribute to national, subregional and
regional implementation of the CBD’s Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.”
The CBD meeting is expected to review the Global Strategy for Plant
Conservation, following recommendations made at the Convention’s Subsidiary
Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice meeting in Paris in 2007.
“We all profit from the unique therapeutic effects of medicine from nature’s
pharmacy”, says Sue Lieberman, Director of the Species Programme of WWF
International “but it is high time for an effective therapy for natural plant
populations under pressure.
“We welcome governments, and committed companies and NGOs to join the
initiative, and work to ensure products from wild plants are harvested in
compliance with the ISSC-MAP,” adds Susanne Honnef of TRAFFIC.
More information:
 Reproduced with permission from WWF. © [2007] WWF- World Wide Fund For
Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund). All rights reserved.
More information and photos:
Richard Thomas, Communications Co-ordinator, TRAFFIC, t + 44 1223 279068, email richard.thomas@traffic.org
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