Table 2 Summary of original investigations into the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants
From: Conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants: problems, progress, and prospects
Sources | Objectives | Features and study design | Findings and conclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
Andel and Havinga [24] | 249 medicinal plants in Suriname | Carried out a market survey to look for signs of overharvesting by analyzing the market, harvesters and post-harvest survival of the medicinal plants | Less than half of the medicinal plants were harvested exclusively from the wild, and leaves were the main products. Most medicinal plants were harvested from secondary forest or man-made vegetation. It didn’t invariably lead to the resource decline or species loss |
Semwal et al. [26] | Ten rare and endangered medicinal plants | Based on the density, occurrence habitats and pressure level to evaluate the distribution pattern, population structure and conservation status of medicinal plants | It grouped the medicinal plants into restricted distribution with high pressure and well distributed with low pressure, providing insights for the conservation and management strategies of medicinal plants |
Long et al. [32] | Amorphophallus, Paris, Musella lasiocarpa, and Camellia sinensis | Dealt with strategies for agrobiodiversity conservation and promotion based on studies of the medicinal plants in the Yunnan Province of China | Strategies (e.g. in situ and ex situ conservation, as well as the promotion and conservation of agrobiodiversity through sustainable uses) should be adopted to conserve and promote agrobiodiversity |
Strandby and Olsen [41] | Abies guatemalensis | From December 2004 to August 2007 conducted a nation-wide survey with plantation owners (n = 26), retailers (n = 67) and urban consumers (n = 993) | It emphasized the importance of increasing legal supplies through decreasing plantation production costs and involving local communities in managing in situ resources |
Yu et al. [44] | Rheum tanguticum | Employed a GIS-based program TCMGIS-II to integrate geographic, climate and soil type databases of China to predict the potential distribution of R. tanguticum | It found the potential habitats sharing similar ecological factors with native habitats appropriate for R. tanguticum growth. It is useful in the conservation planning and regional management of medicinal plants |
Yuan et al. [47] | Scutellaria baicalensis | Estimated the genetic diversity and structure of 28 wild and 22 cultivated populations of S. baicalensis using three polymorphic chloroplast fragments | The conservation-by-cultivation is effective in protecting genetic resources, while the wild resources still need to be protected in situ. The evolutionary consequences of extensive seed exchange should be monitored carefully |
Maunder et al. [49] | 27 threatened medicinal plants | Surveyed 119 botanic gardens in 29 European countries, and 25 botanic gardens in 14 countries undertaking 51 conservation projects | Most medicinal plants were in a small number of collections and out of the range countries, without being included in any specific conservation project. Botanic garden collections were skewed towards ornamental species, and did not fully reflect conservation priorities |