Medicinal and
aromatic plants trade programme
Promoting best
practice in the botanicals sector to support conservation, healthcare and
livelihoods
Human well-being in both rural
and urban areas depends on a diverse array of wild plant products from an even
more diverse array of wild plant species. This includes species used for their
medicinal and aromatic properties. An estimated 50,000–70,000 medicinal and
aromatic species are harvested from the wild, with the annual global export
value of pharmaceutical plants alone being over USD2.2 billion in 2011.
Use and trade of these plant-based pharmaceuticals and
“botanicals”, as medicinal and aromatic plants are sometimes called, underpin
both traditional and “modern” healthcare systems. These plants also flavour our
food and drinks, perfume and give colour to beauty products and provide incense
used by many religious traditions.
The trade also provides a source of income to millions of
households involved in collection, with women often playing the major role, and
supplies industrial production of a wide array of medicinal and household
products. Although accurate data are lacking, available information indicates
that trade is increasing
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