[MPWG] addendum Re: Saving Plants That Save Lives

Thu Jan 3 14:55:12 CST 2008

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.

 Before anyone criticizes this sentence, yes there are laws protecting plants.? Not enough, and not well enforced.? 

-----Original Message-----
From: cafesombra at aol.com
To: MPWG at lists.plantconservation.org
Sent: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 3:45 pm
Subject: Re: 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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