The Invisible Trade Wild plants and you in the time of COVID-19

Worldwide there are reports of the use of herbal products to prevent and treat COVID-19 in South America, Africa, Europe, USA, and Asia.

In China, official traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulations used in the COVID-19 response utilise over 125 plant species, a selection of them wild harvested in China and beyond.

They include Liquorice root (Glycyrrhiza spp), a protected species in parts of its range in China, and several species whose international trade is regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) such as ginseng root Panax spp, Chinese Agarwood Aquilaria sinensis, and Golden Chicken Fern Cibotium barometz.

Humankind’s dependence on wild plants for essential health care and well-being has never been more apparent than during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Anastasiya Timoshyna, TRAFFIC’s Senior Programme Coordinator – Sustainable Trade, and Co-Chair of the IUCN Medicinal Plant Specialist Group

“However, there is a complete lack of attention to the issues of sustainability in wild plant supplies.”

A new report launched today: The Invisible Trade: Wild plants and you in the times of COVID-19 and the essential journey towards sustainability draws attention to the economic, livelihoods and conservation importance of the trade in wild plants resources alongside issues of sustainability of supplies.

Around 26,000 plant species have well-documented medicinal uses globally. Around 3,000 of them are traded internationally, the majority (60–90%) believed to be wild-collected, says the report.

But more than one in ten of the 19% of the species whose threat status was been assessed are at risk of extinction in the wild according to IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The value of the global trade in medicinal and aromatic plant species has almost tripled in recent years (from $1.3 billion in 1998 to $3.3 billion in 2018), based on the latest available UN Comtrade data. The world’s top exporters are China, India, Germany, USA and Hong Kong SAR, while the USA, Hong Kong SAR, Germany and Japan, are the top importers. These figures are likely to be a significant underestimate, as the customs code used for the analysis does not include all relevant plants.

Many common consumer products—herbal remedies, food, drink, cosmetics, supplements, and even furniture—come from wild harvested plants. The report includes a “wild dozen” list of key wild-harvested plants in trade that act as flagships of the opportunities and challenges of wild-sourcing.  Some are already subject to careful management to avoid over-harvesting and ensure equitable trade, some need more attention now and others may do so in future as markets for them grow.

If managed well, sustainable wild-harvesting and trade in plant ingredients could provide multiple benefits to wild-harvesters and supply chains, the holistic management for other species and ecosystems, and contribute to the biodiversity conservation goals, such as those discussed in the preparation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The response to COVID-19 underscores the need for long-term conservation and sustainable use of plant species needed for healthcare and well-being.

A combination of full traceability, compliance with existing regulations (for example for species listed in the CITES appendices), increasing the value to producers, and credible certification schemes are important elements of creating conditions for an all-encompassing “win-win” situation. 

The report identifies priority actions and recommendations to consumers, businesses, governments, as well as conservation and academic stakeholders.

Since 2008, TRAFFIC has partnered with the FairWild Foundation, to promote the sustainable use of wild ingredients by applying the FairWild Standard throughout the herbal products supply chain. FairWild certification is a guarantee of sustainable wild harvesting, as well as fair and equitable share of resources.

Next week (22nd-26th June) is FairWild week, an annual online event to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable and equitable trade in wild plant ingredients. https://www.fairwild.org/fairwild-week

Taking part will be the FairWild Foundation and TRAFFIC alongside businesses such as Traditional Medicinals, Pukka Herbs and Neal’s Yard Remedies, whose products include several with FairWild certified ingredients, as well as educational and conservation organisations, including the Sustainable Herbs Program of the American Botanical Council, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, WWF, and others.

“Next week is a celebration of wild plants, the FairWild approach, and the tangible benefits that sustainable use  brings to impoverished harvesting communities, to businesses responding to the rising consumer demand for sustainably sourced products and for conservation of the wild plants themselves. We hope you will join the FairWild week partners on social media, helping to shed light on this invisible but essential trade, and supporting the calls for action to businesses, governments and consumers,” said Timoshyna.