WILD MEDICINAL PLANTS TO BE PROTECTED UNDER NEW GLOBAL STANDARD

GOOD
NEWS OF THE WEEK:

A much needed global standard for wild medicinal plant harvesting
was launched at the World Organic Trade Fair last week. Over 70,000
species of plants are traded internationally every year, and 80%
of these are harvested from the wild. Due to unchecked harvesting
practices, many of these plants are in danger of extinction through
over-harvesting and habitat loss. The new standard, known as the
International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal
and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP) is already eagerly being embraced
by many retailers around the world to ensure plants used in medicine
and cosmetics are not over-exploited. Consumers can expect to
see products with this labeling as early as Winter of 2007.
Learn
more: /articles/article_4216.cfm