[MPWG] addendum Re: Saving Plants That Save Lives

[Bob Beyfuss]

Laws don't protect plants, in fact laws protecting plants that are 
completely unenforceable, as most plant laws are, only serve to make the 
plants more valuable and do far more harm than good. Where is the evidence 
that any law protecting any commercially used plant has actually 
accomplished that goal?   People who nurture and use plants protect them 
far more than any laws.


At 03:55 PM 1/3/2008, cafesombra at aol.com wrote:

>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.
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>Before anyone criticizes this sentence, yes there are laws protecting 
>plants.  Not enough, and not well enforced.
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>-----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 an! other 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 
><http://www.herbalistswithoutborders.org>www.herbalistswithoutborders.org
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Olivia Kwong 
><<mailto:plant at plantconservation.org>plant at plantconservation.org>
>To: <mailto:mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org>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>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101202622.htm
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>Saving Plants That Save Lives
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>ScienceDaily (Jan. 1, 2008) - Poor or non-existent collection controls are
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>threatening the survival of many of the plant species used in traditional
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>and modern medicines. Some estimates indicate that 15,000 of the 50,000 -
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>70,000 plant species used for medicinal purposes and mostly collected from
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>the wild may be threatened, many as a direct result of unsustainable
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>collection practices.
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>See the link above for the full article.
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>Disclaimer
>Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc. 
>reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The 
>information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a 
>substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific 
>medical condition or question. All medical and other healthcare 
>information that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by 
>the individual reader and their qualified healthcare professional. Posts 
>do not reflect any official opinions or positions of the Plant 
>Conservation Alliance.
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