Japanese delegation visits India to learn about responsible & sustainable trade in medicinal plants

A Japanese delegation including representatives from leading companies dealing in medicinal and aromatic plant products is visiting India to learn about sustainable practices used in plant harvesting and collection Click image to enlarge © Kahoru Kanari / TRAFFICBangalore, Karnataka, India, 9th February 2012—Representatives from leading herbal companies in Japan are visiting India this week as part of a drive to promote responsible and sustainable trade in medicinal and aromatic plants between the two countries. 

India is the second largest supplier of medicinal and aromatic plants to Japan, many of them wild sourced. At the same time, almost 1,000 medicinal plant species in India are of conservation concern, and over-exploitation of wild medicinal plants remains a major environmental protection issue. 

Non-sustainable harvest practices, coupled with accelerating trade demands, can lead to losses of large numbers of individual plants within populations, local population depletions and eventually extermination of a species. 

The private sector is considered one of the most important and influential stakeholder groups along the trade chain. Working with industry members, therefore, is a key step in the promotion of sustainable practices for harvest and collection of medicinal plants from the wild. 

MKS Pasha, Co-ordinator of TRAFFIC India said “This visit is a critical step towards TRAFFIC’s aim of bringing positive behavioral changes in the herbal industry—a sector which deals with cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food products manufactured from wild medicinal and aromatic plants. 

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CBD and UNEP-WCMC Release Draft Study on Standards and Certification Schemes

December 2011: The FairWild Standard has been included in a study on Standards and Certification Schemes, authored by authored by experts from the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and published as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Technical Series. The new draft study reviews the biodiversity requirements of 36 environmental standards, sampled from eight business sectors. 

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South Caucasus pilot study demonstrates feasibility of FairWild implementation

Bilberry collectors, Georgia © Heiko Schindler, IMOA pilot project in the South Caucasus has demonstrated how implementation of the FairWild Standard can improve the quality and sustainability of plant products from Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The South Caucasus region is well known for its high diversity of fauna and flora. However, the fragile ecosystems are threatened by over-exploitation of natural resources.

A total of 340 plant collectors and 17 collection companies received specialized training from the Institute for Marketecology (IMO) on implementation of FairWild principles, with particular emphasis on best practices in wild plant collection, and improving product quality and traceability.

“For most participants, the notion of outside interest and potential for development in this area was a novel one and it was especially pleasing to see the involvement of several young people in the programme as there is a need to recruit a new generation of collectors,” said Heiko Schindler of IMO.

Provision of market information helped producers to identify opportunities for national and regional trade in sustainably produced plant ingredients, while a network of regional experts was also created to provide long-term support. Liaison with government agencies helped lay the foundations for national standards on wild plant collection.

According to GIZ’s Dr. Christian Goenner, “The concept of sustainable use of biodiversit

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Liquorice named “Medicinal plant of the year 2012”

A plate from Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz published in 1885 depicting liquorice; the plant has been used as a medical cure for centuries.Frankfurt, Germany, 21st November 2011—Liquorice has been selected as “Medicinal plant of the year 2012” because of its paramount importance to human well-being world-wide.

The selection was made by a panel from the University of Würzburg, WWF and TRAFFIC and will be announced today at an event organized by WWF Germany.

“Liquorice is special because it can quickly soothe sore throats and coughs and was used centuries ago to treat coughing, hoarseness and asthma by Ancient Greek and Egyptian physicians,” said Professor Johannes Mayer, an expert on the history of medicinal botany at the University of Würzburg.

According to the mediaeval German nun, Hildegard von Bingen, or Saint Hildegard, liquorice can help lift peoples’ moods and has anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antispasmodic actions, and can also protect mucous membranes.

The liquorice plant is a woody shrub native from the Mediterranean to East Asia, the Americas and Australia, and grows up to a metre tall and is a member of the Fabaceae (pea family).
It is widely cultivated for its medicinal properties, and also for use in beverages.

Only the root is utilized, from which a wide variety of compounds—400 to date—have been isolated. Among the most important is glycyrrhizin, a chemical that possesses almost 50 times the sweetening power of cane sugar.

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Japanese-language FairWild brochure for industry now available

Japan is one of the world's main importers and consumers of plant resources. Many plant-derived products and ingredients can be found on the Japanese market: in traditional Kampo medicines, aromatics, cosmetics, spices and herbal teas. “It means that Japanese consumers have a big part to play in the survival and sustainable use of the world’s flora.” said Kahoru Kanari, Senior Programme Officer of TRAFFIC East Asia – Japan.

 The private sector can play a key role in the trade of medicinal plant products by providing consumers with the opportunity to purchase responsibly-sourced goods. “Japanese industry can lead the way by ensuring sustainable plant sourcing. Adhering to voluntary standards such as FairWild can usefully support such efforts by private companies.”

 The brochure, produced with the kind support of the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund, supports greater involvement from Japanese companies by providing information on the FairWild Standard and certification scheme. It explains the Standard's concept and scope, its uniqueness, how certification operates and how industry can participate.

This information is available for download here as a brochure or a longer info sheet.