Given the booming herbal medicine industry and the rapid loss of plant species, growers should be encouraged to research the ornamental as well as medicinal values of more of these plants so that commercial production can help their survival. The following is an extract from an article published in "New Scientist" 10 January 2004. For more information www.newscientist.com

The economic boom in herbal medicine is threatening to destroy a large proportion of the species on which it depends, destroying their natural habitats and jeopardising the health and economies of millions of people in developing countries. Two-thirds of the 50,000 medicinal plants in use are still harvested from the wild of which 4,000 - 10,000 are considered endangered. Given the serious nature of the problem, scientists warn that it is time for the herbal medicine industry to join forces with environmental organisations to ensure that herbal harvests have a sustainable future. Plantlife International (www.plantlife.org.uk) accuses the herbal medicine industry of failing to ensure the sustainability of its supplies; the vast majority of the plants in question are still harvested directly from the wild following what are often destructive practices driven by poverty. Plantlife International urges the industry to invest in cultivation. It also proposes the introduction of a mark with which to identify products that have been sustainably harvested.

More more general information on the argument: www.mpsg.org (Medicinal Plants Specialist Group) of the IUCA (World Conservation Union - Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The MPSG produces a list of threatened plants called the 'Red List' www.redlist.org For general enquires contact Dr. Danna J. Leaman (IUCA) fax 001 6132359622, E-mail: DLJ@green-world.org An interesting article on the subject also appears in "Colture Protette" No.3, 2004 fax 051 6575856 E-mail: cp@gce.it