[MPWG] News - FairWild Standard a key to success in promoting sustainable use of wild medicinal plants in China

[De Angelis, Patricia]

An encouraging story reported by TRAFFIC* of a 30-month project in China
that demonstrates the possibilities when companies, their suppliers
(farmers and wild-collectors), conservation NGOs, industry associations,
and academia as well as government officials work together to promote
sustainable use and conservation of medicinal plant species.  *TRAFFIC
is a wildlife
trade monitoring network that aims to ensure that trade in wild plants and
animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

SUCCESS OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE PROJECT
CELEBRATED IN CHINA
...China’s export volume and value for selected medicinal and aromatic
plant (MAP) products (both wild-collected and cultivated) amounted to over
1.3 billion kg with a reported Customs value of over US$ 5 billion in 2013.
This represents around 16% of total world exports of these materials.
Hundreds of Chinese MAP species are either entirely or partially
wild-collected, while the study also highlighted the potential for
significant growth from anywhere between 5 and 15% of total exports for
organic-certified products.
...Key to achieving wild plant sustainability was following the FairWild
Standard’s best-practices for wild harvesting and equitable trade in
plants. The Standard’s eleven principles cover social, environmental and
economic aspects of sustainability, and provide a comprehensive framework
for tackling the complex issues involved in sustainable wild collection.

Full story:
http://www.traffic.org/home/2015/7/17/success-of-traditional-chinese-medicine-environmental-govern.html
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/mpwg_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20150724/7f4bf9a4/attachment.html>