HOMEOPATHY DEMAND THREATENS AFRICA'S PLANT LIFE

Biology

A first world boom in the demand for Africa's herbal medicines is threatening widespread devastation of plant life on the continent, and the eradication of up to a fifth of the plant species on which traditional treatments depend. "The market for herbal remedies in North America and Europe has been expanding by about 10% a year for the last decade," reports Alan Hamilton, a plant specialist with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). "Many of the plants are harvested by poor communities whose livelihoods will suffer if the plants die out." Another critical voice comes from Martin Harper of Plantlife International who maintains that "the future of the wild plants that have helped most of humanity for centuries is now more uncertain than it has ever been".

Copyright International Communications Mar 2004
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