Challenges faced by MAPs.

 

MAPs face growing threats from habitat destruction, overharvesting, habitat loss, illegal trade and inconsistent quality control and illegal trade, making their conservation a global priority.

Approximately 60,000 MAP species are harvested globally. Around 9% of plant species used globally for medicinal and aromatic purposes are considered to be threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List, and 79% of medicinal and aromatic plant species have no conservation status. Additionally, 1,280 MAP species are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), including more than 800 in Appendix II, reflecting mounting conservation concerns as global demand continues to rise. 

Beyond these ecological and regulatory concerns, additional challenges arise in relation to the knowledge systems that sustain their use. Although Indigenous knowledge relating to medicinal and aromatic species is increasingly recognized, significant challenges remain. One major concern is biopiracy — “the exploitation of knowledge and biological resources of tribes by firms in the pharmaceutical industry or scientists without providing proper compensation to the individuals who have been responsible for developing this information”. 

In recent years, the challenges related to MAPs have been recognized as a challenge on which to work collaboratively, as demonstrated by CITES CoP19 Decision 19.261 – 19.264 Trade in medicinal and aromatic plant species, that tasked the Secretariat, working with the Plants Committee, to gather and share information to improve awareness of CITES rules for medicinal and aromatic plants, encouraging sustainable and legal trade, and review non-detriment findings (NDFs).