[MPWG] Saving Plants That Save Lives - How about a certification program

[Michael Laurie]

Seems to me that one good solution would be to have a certification program 

that uses 3rd party verifiers to certify that a company's products are
sustainably grown or harvested.

Kind of like the Forest Stewardship Council or other certifications.

 

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From: mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org
[mailto:mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf Of
cafesombra at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 12:46 PM
To: MPWG at lists.plantconservation.org
Subject: Re: [MPWG] Saving Plants That Save Lives

 

Hello,
"Unsustainable collection practices" (which we've been blaming for years
now) may be threatening / endangering plants.  But what causes unsustainable
collection?  Why are people pulling too many plants out of the wild without
implementing appropriate replanting and/or protection measures?  Could it be
that unsustainable contracting for commercial ingredients is the culprit?
Business people, especially the big users (I would say "players," if
creating a sustainable future were a game) can point the finger at
collectors 'til the cowslip comes home.  But business people are the ones
paying the collectors.  Now that distribution and product placement make it
difficult if not impossible for all but the bigger players to get into the
commerce game, we can no longer say that consumers demand it so, let's
supply what the people want.  Consumers wander down the aisles choosing from
amongst what is there, and if one product disappears and another replaces
it, they still choose from what's there.  They still tend to choose what is
placed right in front of their faces, as all informed business people know.
Imagine a world where no one can find any non-organic products except by
shunning the stores and going to their local chemical factory farms to
support the local underdogs. It's not going to do your company any good to
"give the people what they want" if the environment is ruined and the source
runs out in the process -- unless you are in it for the quick return rather
than the long haul.
I may be preaching to the choir, assuming that signing up for an email list
affirms one's commitment to a sustainable future.  So, if everyone on this
list is already perfect, how do we reach those who do not voluntarily choose
to do the right thing?  Because that is what we need to do.  It's a crime
that saving the plants that save lives is a voluntary act, if you think you
might want to, and allowing unrestricted trade of unsustainable ingredients
is protected by law.
Jennifer  www.herbalistswithoutborders.org 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Olivia Kwong <plant at plantconservation.org>
To: mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org
Sent: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 10:53 am
Subject: [MPWG] NEWS: Saving Plants That Save Lives

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101202622.htm













Saving Plants That Save Lives













ScienceDaily (Jan. 1, 2008) - Poor or non-existent collection controls are 






threatening the survival of many of the plant species used in traditional 






and modern medicines. Some estimates indicate that 15,000 of the 50,000 - 






70,000 plant species used for medicinal purposes and mostly collected from 






the wild may be threatened, many as a direct result of unsustainable 






collection practices.













See the link above for the full article.




















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