Xishuangbanna Tropical BotanicGarden in China has begun a researchprogramme into the propagation andre-introduction of local Dendrobiumspecies, used extensively in TCM.This will include field work to assessthe status of populations in the wildand research into cultivation techniques(Y.Shouhua, pers.comm.).Leiden Botanic Garden in theNetherlands has begun researchingways of distinguishing between legallyproduced and illegally wild harvestedagarwood (Aquilaria and Gyrinops spp.)using DNA markers in plantation crops(van Uffelen, pers.comm.). Thisresearch work aims to assist the controlof illegal wild harvest and trade inthreatened medicinal plants.In 2006, the Pfizer Plant Laboratorywas opened in New York BotanicGarden, systematically screening plantsin the search <strong>for</strong> active medicinalcompounds, and studying the efficacyof these compounds. This is not assimple as it sounds. Normally, allmedicinal plants have one or twoprimary compounds and a number ofsecondary compounds. The efficacy ofthe plants in medicinal use depends onthe interaction of all roughage,secondary and mucous compoundswith the primary active compounds.If primary compounds are isolated, theymay have completely different effectsthan in combination with the cocktail ofsecondary compounds of the respectiveplant (WWF/TRAFFIC Germany, 2002).Efficacy also depends, to a certainextent, on abiotic factors of theenvironments and on collectionmethods. It differs from location tolocation (soil quality, mineral content,moisture content, temperature, intensityof light) and depends on the weatherconditions at the time of collection.The Jodrell Laboratory at RBG, Kew in theUK is dedicated to ethnobotany and runsnumerous research projects into thechemistry, bioactivity and taxonomy ofmedicinal plants (Olwen, pers.comm.).This scientific research can be used toin<strong>for</strong>m legislation and policy development.Turpan Desert Botanic Garden hasconstructed an Ethnic Medicinal PlantGarden, researching the use of medicinalherbs used by the Uygur people ofXinjiang (Tan, pers.comm.).At Reading University in the UK theFaculty of Pharmacy is developing aUniversity Botanic Garden <strong>for</strong> use as amedicinal plant resource (V. Heywood,pers.comm.). Work is also underway inaffiliation with the Foundation <strong>for</strong> theRevitalisation of Local Health Traditions(FRLHT) in India on developing DNAmarkers <strong>for</strong> medicinal plants. (J. Hawkins,pers.comm.).EducationRightly hailed as a way of inspiring andmotivating action and public support,education about medicinal plants takesmany <strong>for</strong>ms; from educating endconsumers about the sources of theirmedicines to educating farmers and herbgatherers about the value of sustainableharvest. Botanic gardens have a key roleto play in educating the public about thevalue and conservation needs ofmedicinal plants.Target 14 of the GSPC calls <strong>for</strong>education and awareness about plantdiversity to be promoted.Marie Selby Botanic Garden in Floridais creating in<strong>for</strong>mation profiles <strong>for</strong> themedicinal plants in the garden, toinclude the conservation status of thespecies in the wild, geographicalin<strong>for</strong>mation, botanical characteristicsand ecology, uses to humans and partsof plants used, chemical compounds,history and folklore, re-affirming thelinks between plants and people(Tieghem, pers.comm.).Seven of the eight botanic gardens inthe South African National BiodiversityInstitute’s (SANBI) network of botanicgardens have demonstration gardensthat are used <strong>for</strong> education, display andresearch on indigenous traditional use(Xaba, pers.comm.).Several botanic gardens in the US <strong>for</strong>example, Denver, Brooklyn, NorthCarolina and New York as well as theRoyal Botanical Gardens in Canada offertraining courses in horticultural therapy.It has been well established that peoplerespond positively to green plants andcolorful flowers. Gardening offers relieffrom physical and cognitive limitations,reduces stress, gently exercises aging orarthritic joints, and stimulates memory.Krishna Mahavidyalaya Botanic Garden inIndia grows approximately 130 species ofmedicinal plants in pots, emphasizingthose used in indigenous systems ofmedicine. The plants are accompaniedby display notes including the commonname in various languages as well as itsuse as medicine and scientific data.Since the plants are in pots, a mobileexhibit has traveled extensively, creatingawareness and educating people abouttheir shared medicinal plant resource(Salunkhe, pers.comm.).The IB-UNAM Botanic Garden, Mexicoruns courses whereby ethnobotanistsshare their technical and botanicalexpertise while traditional healers sharetheir knowledge on the indigenous andritual use of plants. The in<strong>for</strong>mation isdisseminated by the botanic garden toother healers, housewives, professionalsand alternative health practitioners.In the UK, the Botanic Garden of Waleshas a ‘Physicians of the Myddfai’exhibition and displays traditionallyimportant medicinal plants whilst BristolZoological Gardens provides the locale<strong>for</strong> a series of courses and lectures onmedicinal plants.<strong>Plants</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>life</strong>: Medicinal plant conservation and botanic gardens 17
Working with local authorities, OaxacaBotanic Garden in Mexico hasrecommended Guiacum coulteri beplanted in local parks and publicgardens, as well as making seedsavailable to local schools and communityorganizations (A.de Avila, pers.comm.).The Tasmania Herbarium in Australiaused its living collections to supportscreening by a large pharmaceuticalcompany searching <strong>for</strong> active medicinalcompounds, in accordance with accessand benefit sharing regulations(Papworth, pers.comm.).NetworkingNo single sector, public or private, canundertake the conservation of medicinalplants alone and the neutral nature ofbotanic gardens puts them in a goodposition to act as intermediaries betweenvarious commercial and scientific interests.The importance of enhancedcommunication and knowledge exchangebetween concerned parties has also beenrecognised by the GSPC, which statesthat networking can avoid duplication ofconservation ef<strong>for</strong>t, enable thedevelopment of common approaches,help strengthen links between differentsectors and ensure the co-ordination ofpolicy development at all levels.Target 16 of the GSPC calls <strong>for</strong> theestablishment and strengthening ofplant conservation networks.The Jardin Botânico da FundaçâoZoobotânica de Belo Horizonte in Brazilpartners with universities to study thechemical composition and biologicalactivites of local medicinal plants(Nogueira, pers.comm.).The Botanic Gardens of Adelaide inAustralia, as well as developingeducation programs <strong>for</strong> schools basedaround indigenous knowledge and thetraditional uses of plants, work closelywith hospitals on harmful plants andtoxicology (Christensen, pers.comm.).In situ conservationAs recognised by the CBD, in situconservation is the preferablemethodology, since ex situ conservationtends to take place outside the range stateof the target species. The preservation ofspecies in situ offers all the advantages ofallowing natural selection to act, whichcannot be recreated ex situ. Unless plantscan be conserved in their natural habitats,in variable breeding populations, they runthe risk of extinction.In reality, many species exist only aspart of ecosystems and cannotsurvive unless their ecosystems arepreserved along with as much aspossible of the biodiversity theycontain. Cistanche deserticola, <strong>for</strong>example, an important plant in TCM,is dependent on two fungi; Mycenaosmundicola (to draw nutrients fromthe soil and allow seed germination)and Armillaria mellea (which must beincorporated into the tuber tomaintain growth to maturity).Similarly, Cistanche deserticola isparasitic to the roots of the desertshrub Haloxylon spp. The Haloxylongenus is notoriously difficult tocultivate, and is also know as ‘coal ofthe desert’ because of its firewoodproperties. The conservation of thesespecies cannot be removed from thehabitats they exist within.Traditionally, in situ conservation hasinvolved the protection of species withintheir natural habitats in various <strong>for</strong>ms ofland set aside as nature reserves or otherprotected areas. This approach cordonsoff certain areas and restricts their use.Though often hampered by weaken<strong>for</strong>cement capacity, protected areasare of critical importance since we haveyet to master the sustainable use ofmedicinal plant resources in the wild.Botanic garden display including various aloes, which are commonly used <strong>for</strong>skin conditions.Botanic gardens are involved in themanagement of natural habitats in thisway, as well as carrying out field-work,such as wild population surveys.A priority <strong>for</strong> medicinal plant conservationis the carrying out of ecogeographicalsurveys, followed by proper targeted insitu species conservation with as manysamples of genetic (there<strong>for</strong>e chemical)variation as possible preserved(Heywood, pers.comm.).18<strong>Plants</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>life</strong>: Medicinal plant conservation and botanic gardens