Appendix 1


Table 7: Wild harvesting versus cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants: A summary of advantages and disadvantages
For species and ecosystems it is better to ...
wild harvest because ...	cultivate because ...
it puts wild plant populations in the continuing interest of local people it provides an incentive to protect and maintain wild populations and their habitats and the genetic diversity of MAP populations but ... uncontrolled harvest may lead to the extinction of ecotype and even species common access to the resource makes it difficult to adhere to quotas and the pre-cautionary principle in most cases knowledge about the biology of the resource is poor and the annual sustained yields are not known in most cases resource inventories and accompanying management plans do not exist	it relieves harvesting pressure on very rare and slow-growing species which are most susceptible to threat but ... devaluates wild plant resources and their habitats economically and reduces incentive to conserve ecosystems narrows genetic diversity of gene pool of the resource because wild relatives of cultivated species become neglected it may lead to conversion of habitat for cultivation cultivated species may become invasive and have negative impacts on ecosystem reintroducing plants can lead to genetic pollution of wild populations
The market demands ...
wild harvested plants because ...	cultivated material because ...
it is cheaper since it does not require infrastructure and investment many species are only required in small quantities that do not make cultivation economically viable for some plant parts extra-large cultivation areas are required (e.g.Arnicaproduction for flowers) successful cultivation techniques do not exist, e.g. for slow growing, habitat specific taxa no pesticides are used it is often believed that wild plants are more powerful but ... there is a risk of adulterations there is a risk of contaminations through non-hygienic harvest or post-harvest conditions	it guarantees continuing supply of raw material it makes reliable botanical identification possible genotypes can be standardized or improved quality standards are easy to maintain controlled post-harvest handling is possible production volume and price can be agreed for longer periods resource price is relatively stable over time certification as organic production is possible but ... it is more expensive than wild harvest it needs substantial investment before and during production


From a perspective of the people it is better to ...
wild harvest because ...	cultivate because ...
it provides access to cash income without prior investment it provides herbal medicines for health care needs it maintains the resources for rural populations on a long-term basis (if done sustainably) but ... unclear land rights create ownership problems this income and health care resource is becoming scarce through over-harvesting	it secures steady supply of herbal medicines (home gardens) it provides in-country value-adding but ... capital investment for small farmers is high competition from large scale production puts pressure on small farmers and on wild harvesters benefits are made else-where and traditional resource users have no benefit return (IPR)


Table 8: Selected plant families characterized by high numbers of species used for medicinal purposes showing the number and proportion of threatened species. Data on proportion of threatened species per family according to the IUCN criteria from Walter and Gillett (1998)
Family	No. genera	No. species	% of total species threatened	Main uses	Examples of over-harvested species
Stangeriaceae	1	1	100	Traditional medicine, symbolic	Stangeria eriopus
Zamiaceae	8	144	90.3	Horticultural collection & traditional medicine	Encephalartosspecies (56 listed as threatened)
Canellaceae	6	20	35	Traditional medicine, Molluscides	Warburgia elongata. W. salutaris
Leguminosae	590	12 000-14 200	18	Multiple-uses: timber, medicinal, forage & food	Dalbergia odorifera, D. tonkinensis; Afzeliaspecies
Araliaceae	47-70	700	16.3	Medicinal & carving	Panaxspecies
Rosaceae	100	3 000	14.4	Stone fruit crops & medicinals	Prunus africana
Guttiferae	50	1 200	13.3	Dyes, medicines, fruits, chewing sticks	West AfricanGarciniaspeciesoverexploited for chewing sticks
Lauraceae	35-50	2 000	13	Timber, medicines, cinnamon	Ocotea bullata
Menispermaceae	70	400	9.5	Medicines, dyes	Stephania (several species in SE Asia)
Apocynaceae	168-200	2 000	7.5	Medicines	Holarrhena floribunda