Trade in Medicinal Aromatic Plants (MAPs),

 

International trade in medicinal and aromatic plants has expanded rapidly over the past decades, with strong market growth in Asia, Europe and North America. A snapshot of the wild plant trade, using a Customs code for medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), HS1211, shows that global trade has increased from US$1.1 billion in 1999, to US$3 billion in 2015, with China alone exporting 1.3 billion kg of botanical ingredients in 2013. The growth of “natural” and “organic” consumer demand will only add to this pressure on wild collected species and their ecosystems. Compounding the issue, the (sometimes intentional) complexity of global wild plant trade chains makes it difficult to track volumes and species, threatening their survival in the wild, the wider wildlife that depend on them, and the livelihoods of local collectors.

Between January and December 2017, 27% of all CITES-related seizures reported by European Union Member States concerned medicinal products. This highlights both the intensity of trade and the risks of non-compliance, showing the need for sustainable harvesting practices and strong, well-regulated legal trade to ensure that medicinal plant use does not drive species decline.