POLICY BRIEF

• Law enforcement officers lack knowledge and understanding of regulations and procedures.
• There is low capacity amongst management and control officers in species identification.
• There is a low level of coordination between management and control officers engaged in harvest and trade management.
• There is a lack of personnel and infrastructure to manage and regulate the industry.
• There is no traceability system in place to monitor the harvest, transport, processing, and trade of MAPs.
• There is a low level of awareness regarding the environmental, social, and economic value of medicinal plants.

Key recommendations

• Urgent actions are needed to strengthen the control and monitoring of harvest and trade, including legislative changes, permit issue procedures, and enhanced species identification
• Promoting conservation and sustainability practices that respect local livelihoods, community development and equitable benefit sharing, and include scientific resource assessments for MAP species involved