Status of medicinal and aromatic plants in - Inia

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WORKING GROUP ON MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS: FIRST MEETING
Medicinal and aromatic plants in Estonia
Ulve Pihlik
Tartu University, Pharmacy Institute, Tartu, Estonia
Introduction
The flora and vegetation of Estonia are both very interesting for their biological diversity.
Despite its small surface area, Estonia has two different biogeographical subdivisions.
Geologically, eastern Estonia can be characterized by its sandstone bedrock and western
Estonia by its limestone bedrock. Therefore different soil types occur in these areas. The
composition of plant communities of western Estonia is, in turn, under the influence of the
more maritime climate. These conditions give rise to very different plant communities.
About half of Estonia is covered by forest, over 20% by mires, and about 20% by meadows.
The indigenous flora of Estonia includes approximately 1500 vascular plants. More than 500
plant species are situated on the margin of their distribution area: 121 on the northern, 128 on
the northeastern, 45 on the eastern, 56 on the southeastern, 27 on the southern, 11 on the
southwestern, 15 on the western and 52 on the northwestern margins.
Legislation
The Law of Natural Objects under Protection (passed in 1994, supplemented in 1998) establishes
the terms for the protection of both plant communities and plant species. Almost 10% of the
country’s area is subject to various levels of protection. The strict regime of protection
applies to over 1% of the whole area, and is planned to cover up to 5% of the mainland by
2010. The above-mentioned law has established the following categories of protection:
• Conservation areas
- national parks, meant for the protection of typical landscapes and the biological
diversity of ecosystems (Lahemaa – northern Estonian plant communities; Karula –
southern Estonian plant communities; Soomaa – the communities of mires and bogs;
Vilsandi – littoral communities);
- wildlife conservation areas, meant for the protection of rare species and species in
danger of extinction;
- landscape conservation areas (parks, arboreta, botanical gardens), usually small;
- programmed areas, in which monitoring, research work and educational activities are
carried out in accordance with the programme;
• Protected natural individual objects (live or lifeless natural objects of high scientific,
historical or cultural value (e.g. single trees, rocks and stones, waterfalls, caves, etc.);
• Species, fossils and minerals under protection.
Endangered plant species are divided into three categories according to the protection
regime:
1. The first category includes 22 protected species of high scientific value (relicts, species
with a narrow area of distribution and those on the margin of an area), very rare plants
(1-5 sites) and clearly endangered species (Kukk 1999).
2. The second category (145 species) consists of rare and endangered species and species of
scientific value, for which the threat is not as acute as for the species in the first category.
They include endemic species, relicts from earlier climatic periods or species situated on
the margin of their distribution area. The following species used as medicinal plants
belong to this category: Taxus baccata L., Jovibarba globifera (L.) J. Parnell (syn. J. sobolifera
(Sims) Opiz), Prunus spinosa L., Rubus arcticus L., Hedera helix L., Helichrysum arenarium (L.)
Moench and Orchis spp.