Plants for life: - Sacred Seeds Sanctuary

5. Approaches to medicinal plantconservationMedicinal plant conservation is challenging,since the taxa occur in a wide range ofhabitats and geographic regions. Theirconservation threats and ultimate use arediverse and users are not only local ruralcommunities but also far away urbancitizens. However, it is widely agreed thatthe conservation of medicinal plants (andbiodiversity in general) can be achievedthrough an integrated approach balancingin situ and ex situ conservation strategies.Medicinal plant conservation musttherefore operate within several spheres;drawing together disparate groups andmutually acknowledging differentstakeholder interests in order to succeed.The policy contextA policy trend positively linkingbiodiversity conservation with humandevelopment is gaining momentum andpeople’s access rights to naturalresources necessary for their survivalhave improved with policy provisions.• The Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) was ratified in 1992 atthe Rio Earth Summit. The 190 Partieshave agreed to commit to protectbiodiversity, develop sustainably andengage in the equitable sharing ofbenefits from the use of geneticresources.The conservation of biodiversity isacknowledged as the cornerstone ofsustainable development. For moreinformation on the CBD go towww.cbd.int.• The World Trade Organisation’s (WTO)agreement on Trade-Related Aspectsof Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS), 1994, sets out how to dealwith the commercial use of traditionalknowledge and genetic material bythose other than the communities orcountries where these originate,especially when these are the subjectof patent applications. Moreinformation on the WTO and TRIPSAgreement is available at www.wto.org.The Chiang Mai Declaration of 1988 led to the publication of the first Guidelineson the Conservation of Medicinal Plants (currently being updated), recognisingthe “urgent need for international co-operation and co-ordination to establishprogrammes for the conservation of medicinal plants to ensure that adequatequantities are available for future generations” (WHO, 1993).The guidelines detailed the expertsmost needed for a programme ofconservation and sustainable utilisationof medicinal plants, though terms mayhave changed in the almost 20 yearssince, the roles remain just as current.Agronomists:Conservation campaigners:Ecologists:Ethnobotanists:Health policy-makers:Horticulturists:Legal experts:Park managers:Park planners:Pharmacologists:Plant breeders:Plant genetic resourcespecialists:Plant pathologists:Religious leaders:Resource economists:Seed biologists:Taxonomists:Traditional health practitioners:To improve techniques for cultivating medicinal plantsTo persuade the public of the need to conserve medicinal plantsTo understand the ecosystems in which medicinal plants growTo identify the use of plants as medicines in traditional societiesTo include conservation and utilisation of medicinal plants in their policy and planningTo cultivate medicinal plantsTo develop effective legal mechanisms that ensure that collection of medicinal plants is atlevels that are sustainableTo conserve medicinal plants within their parks and reservesTo ensure the park and reserve system contains the maximum diversity of medicinal plantsTo study the application of medicinal plantsTo breed improved strains of medicinal plants for cultivationTo assess the genetic variation in medicinal plants andmaintain seed banks of medicinal plantsTo protect the cultivated medicinal plants from pests and diseases without using dangerouschemicalsTo promote a respect for natureTo evaluate the patterns of use and the economic values of medicinal plantsTo understand the germination and storage requirements of the seed of different medicinal plantsTo identify the medicinal plants accuratelyTo provide information on the uses and availability of medicinal plants10Plants for life: Medicinal plant conservation and botanic gardens