[MPWG] Conservation of the peoples heritage.

[C Prakash Kala]

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Ivor Hughes has raised a very prominent issue. There is of course lacking of consolidated data on the impact of current medical and pharmaceutical practices in relation to medicinal plants, and the species extinction due to these practices. My experiences on the Himalayan medicinal plants clearly shows that advent of commercial forces has made to decline the useful species. The population density of many medicinal plants has declinded rapidly over past 20 years in many areas of the Himalaya and we of course need to conserve them. I have a counter question here, should we wait for extinction of these valuable species ?

CP Kala, Ph.D.
 

On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 Herbworks1 wrote :
>Scientific conferences on matters which are too important to be left to science seem to be the norm.
>
>As a personal observation the conclusions that emerge from such gatherings appear to be lacking in balance, not to mention the censorship that is applied to dissenting voices.
>
>Everyone rides a hobby horse .... lots of hobby horses in the same stable. Not 10 hobby horses in one stall and the rest of the stable empty.
>
>Some questions .... To what extent has scientific agriculture contributed to the current loss of bio-diversity ? Is this the farmers fault ?
>
>To what extent, are current medical and pharmaceutical practices in relation to medicinal plants, actually contributing to the extinction of species ?
>
>Again as a personal observation, if those questions  are answered fairly, then it is difficult to see how the current thrust of the legislation is going to contribute to any long term solution.  Blaming the victims and then penalising them appears to be counter productive.
>
>Ivor Hughes
>www.herbdatanz.com
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