ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Environment → Environmental Issues

Saving a plant that could save your life

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
January 7, 2008
in Environmental Issues, Studies
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

International research team creates eco superglue out of cellulose and water
MIT designs and builds a plant-robot plantborg that can move towards light
Glowing plants imbued with firefly enzymes might one day replace lamps
Scientists say cheetahs should be on the endangered list

endangered plant
There is (or at least there should be) a lot of attention focused around endangered wildlife and protecting a number of species from the damage which we as humans bring to them more or less directly. The animals most definetly deserve it. But most people don’t think of plants as being endangered, but the thing is that they are.

This has happened mostly because of three major reasons:

  • The first and probably the worst is that man is cutting down and destroying rain forests and other habitats. This has been talked about for ages so we are not going to cover that here.
  • Another is that human activities and the expanding of the cities off road traffic and pesticide use reduce habitat.
  • The center of our focus is the fact that we need some herbs to make medicine. Some estimates indicate that 15,000 of the 50,000 – 70,000 plant species used for medicinal purposes and mostly collected from the wild may be threatened, many as a direct result of an unsustainable collection.
  • It should also be noted that numerous underwater species are already extinct due to the destruction of the coral reef and they probably could have helped medicine a lot. But we should not moan about the past but rather learn from it and then think what we could do at the present moment.

    Three years of collaboration in which World Wide Fund for Nature played a very important role have led to the first set of principles and criteria for the sustainable wild collection of plants.

    “This important effort will benefit the health and well-being of both the ecosystems they are part of, and the local people who depend on them for their livelihoods,” stresses Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF’s Species Programme.

    The concern over the issue has grown significantly in the past years and new standard addresses requests from industry, governments, organic certifiers, resource managers and collectors for a means of assessing the sustainability of wild collection.

    This thing is huge as beside giving much needed help to the the people involved in the harvest, management, trade, manufacture and sale of wild-collected medicinal and aromatic plant resources it also provides potential frameworks for addressing a rising consumer concern and the drug market needed this a lot. This of course involves an international, multi-stakeholder advisory group representing industry, independent certifiers, organizations working on fair trade, sustainable livelihoods and sustainable agriculture and forestry which hopefully are going to find the right way to develop this so that it would be to the benefit of the plant and the human species as well.

    Tags: endangeredendangered wildlifeplant

    ShareTweetShare
    Mihai Andrei

    Mihai Andrei

    Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

    Related Posts

    Biology

    How Some Flowers Evolved the Grossest Stench — and Why Flies Love It

    byMihai Andrei
    2 weeks ago
    Agriculture

    Your favorite fruits may have come from radioactive plants. Meet the wonderous ‘gamma gardens’

    byMichelle Petersen
    3 years ago
    Agriculture

    Climate warming is changing the US planting zones

    byMihai Andrei
    5 years ago
    Biology

    International research team creates eco superglue out of cellulose and water

    byAlexandru Micu
    5 years ago

    Recent news

    Scientists Close to Finding Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Using a 21-Generation Family Tree

    May 22, 2025

    This Startup Is Using Ancient DNA to Recreate Perfumes from Extinct Flowers

    May 21, 2025

    Jupiter Was Twice Its Size and Had a Magnetic Field 50 Times Stronger After the Solar System Formed

    May 21, 2025
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Policy
    • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
    • How we review products
    • Contact

    © 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Science News
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Space
    • Future
    • Features
      • Natural Sciences
      • Physics
        • Matter and Energy
        • Quantum Mechanics
        • Thermodynamics
      • Chemistry
        • Periodic Table
        • Applied Chemistry
        • Materials
        • Physical Chemistry
      • Biology
        • Anatomy
        • Biochemistry
        • Ecology
        • Genetics
        • Microbiology
        • Plants and Fungi
      • Geology and Paleontology
        • Planet Earth
        • Earth Dynamics
        • Rocks and Minerals
        • Volcanoes
        • Dinosaurs
        • Fossils
      • Animals
        • Mammals
        • Birds
        • Fish
        • Amphibians
        • Reptiles
        • Invertebrates
        • Pets
        • Conservation
        • Animal facts
      • Climate and Weather
        • Climate change
        • Weather and atmosphere
      • Health
        • Drugs
        • Diseases and Conditions
        • Human Body
        • Mind and Brain
        • Food and Nutrition
        • Wellness
      • History and Humanities
        • Anthropology
        • Archaeology
        • History
        • Economics
        • People
        • Sociology
      • Space & Astronomy
        • The Solar System
        • Sun
        • The Moon
        • Planets
        • Asteroids, meteors & comets
        • Astronomy
        • Astrophysics
        • Cosmology
        • Exoplanets & Alien Life
        • Spaceflight and Exploration
      • Technology
        • Computer Science & IT
        • Engineering
        • Inventions
        • Sustainability
        • Renewable Energy
        • Green Living
      • Culture
      • Resources
    • Videos
    • Reviews
    • About Us
      • About
      • The Team
      • Advertise
      • Contribute
      • Editorial policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact

    © 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.