Current situation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants commerce in Greece

47 Pages·2012·0.94 MB·English

by  Eleni Mandraveli

ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI
SCHOOL OF BIOLOGY
POSTGRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM
“CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE EXPLOITATION OF NATIVE PLANTS
(BNP)”

Eleni Mandraveli

Current situation of
Medicinal and Aromatic
Plants commerce in Greece:
Risks and Opportunities
Diploma Thesis

Thessaloniki 2011
ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI
SCHOOL OF BIOLOGY
POSTGRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM
“CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE EXPLOITATION OF NATIVE PLANTS
(BNP)”

Eleni Mandraveli

Current situation of
Medicinal and Aromatic
Plants commerce in Greece:
Risks and Opportunities
Diploma Thesis

Thessaloniki 2011

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ΑΡΙ΢ΣΟΣΕΛΕΙΟ ΠΑΝΕΠΙ΢ΣΗΜΙΟ ΘΕ΢΢ΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ΢
΢ΧΟΛΗ ΒΙΟΛΟΓΙΑ΢
ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΜΕΣΑΠΣΤΧΙΑΚΩΝ ΢ΠΟΤΔΩΝ
“ΔΙΑΣΗΡΗ΢Η ΣΗ΢ ΒΙΟΠΟΙΚΙΛΟΣΗΣΑ΢ ΚΑΙ ΑΕΙΦΟΡΙΚΗ ΕΚΜΕΣΑΛΛΕΤ΢Η ΑΤΣΟΦΤΩΝ ΦΤΣΩΝ
(ΒΑΦ)»

Μανδραβζλη Ελζνη

Τπάρχουςα κατάςταςθ ςτο
εμπόριο των Αρωματικϊν
και Φαρμακευτικϊν Φυτϊν
ςτθν Ελλάδα: Κίνδυνοι και
Ευκαιρίεσ
Διπλωματικι Εργαςία

Θεςςαλονίκη 2011
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Date of Presentation: 03/03/2011

Examining Board: Professor Kokkini Styliani, †Dr Tsogas Miltos1

Professor Lanaras Thomas

Assistant Professor Karousou Regina

1 Supervisors

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... 4
List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. 5
Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Περίλθψθ ................................................................................................................................... 7
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 8
1.1. Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (MAPs) .................................................................... 8
1.2. The situation in Greece ....................................................................................... 11
1.3. Thesis scope ......................................................................................................... 12
2. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 13
2.1. International and EU level ................................................................................... 13
2.2. National level ....................................................................................................... 13
2.3. Assessment .......................................................................................................... 13
3. Results ........................................................................................................................... 15
3.1. International and EU level ................................................................................... 15
3.1.1. International and EU Legislation ...................................................................... 15
3.1.2. International and EU Market ............................................................................ 20
3.2. National level ....................................................................................................... 25
3.2.1. National Legislation .......................................................................................... 25
3.2.2. National Market ............................................................................................... 27
4. Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 32
4.1. Identified gaps ..................................................................................................... 32
4.2. Proposed measures ............................................................................................. 33
5. Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... 35
6. References ..................................................................................................................... 36

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List of Abbreviations
English:
BfN: German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
BNP: Conservation of Biodiversity and sustainable exploitation of Native Plants
CBD: Convention on Biological Diversity
CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora
EC: European Commission
EEC: European Economic Community
EL.STAT.: Hellenic Statistical Authority
EU: European Union
EUROPAM: European Herbs Association
GACP: Guidelines on good Agricultural and Collection Practices
GSPC: Global Strategy for Plant Conservation
HMRDF: Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food
HRGG: Hellenic Republic Government Gazette
ISSC-MAP: International Standard for Sustainable wild Collection of MAPs
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature
JMD: Joint Ministerial Decision
MAP: Medicinal and Aromatic Plant
MD: Ministerial Decision
WHO: World Health Organization
WWF: World Wide Fund
OAC: Organization of Accounts Certification
OCMAP: Organization for certification and management of Agricultural Products
OPCCAGG: Organization for payments and Control of Community Aid, Guidance and
Guarantee
Greek:
ΑΦΦ: Αρωματικά και Φαρμακευτικά Φυτά
ΕΕ: Ευρωπαϊκι Ζνωςθ
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Current situation of Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants (MAPs) commerce in
Greece: Risks and Opportunities
Abstract
From ancient times until now, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) are used for
several purposes such as in medicine, in nutrition, in cosmetics, etc. The last decades
the demand for MAPs is rising and has led to increased pressure on wild plant
populations, the main source of raw material, causing loss of genetic diversity and
habitat destruction. MAPs are an integral part of our biodiversity. Recent concern
over the alarming situation of the status of wild MAP resources, raw material quality,
as well as social exploitation of rural communities leads to conservation strategies
and policies at both international and national levels. Greece, with a great amount of
native plants, including MAPs, follows the international trends in the MAP sector.
Unfortunately, there is no monitoring of the Greek market or the use of MAPs. This
study presents the status of MAPs market on international and national level as well
as actions and regulations concerning MAPs conservation, trade and use. Its purpose
is to determine the current situation of MAPs commerce in Greece. It identifies
specific gaps in MAPs commerce practices and proposes measures for sustainable
management.

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Τπάρχουςα κατάςταςθ ςτο εμπόριο
των Αρωματικϊν και Φαρμακευτικϊν
Φυτϊν (ΑΦΦ) ςτθν Ελλάδα: Κίνδυνοι
και Ευκαιρίεσ
Περίληψη
Σα Αρωματικά και Φαρμακευτικά Φυτά (ΑΦΦ) χρθςιμοποιοφνται ςε διάφορουσ τομείσ
όπωσ θ ιατρικι, θ διατροφι και θ κοςμετολογία. Σα τελευταία χρόνια, λόγω αυξθμζνθσ
ηιτθςθσ για ΑΦΦ, γίνεται υπερεκμετάλλευςθ των αυτοφυϊν πλθκυςμϊν αφοφ αυτοί
αποτελοφν τθν κφρια πθγι φυτικοφ υλικοφ, προκαλϊντασ μείωςθ τθσ γενετικισ
ποικιλότθτασ και καταςτροφι των ενδιαιτθμάτων. Σα ΑΦΦ είναι αναπόςπαςτο κομμάτι τθσ
βιοποικιλότθτασ. Η πρόςφατθ ανθςυχία για τθν κατάςταςθ τθσ αυτοφυοφσ βλάςτθςθσ των
ΑΦΦ ειδϊν, τθσ ποιότθτασ του εμπορευόμενου φυτικοφ υλικοφ όπωσ επίςθσ και τθσ
εκμετάλλευςθσ των αγροτικϊν κοινοτιτων, οδιγθςε ςε ςτρατθγικζσ διατιρθςθσ τόςο ςε
διεκνζσ όςο και ςε εκνικό επίπεδο. Η Ελλάδα, μία χϊρα με μεγάλο αρικμό αυτοφυϊν
φυτικϊν ειδϊν, εμπεριεχομζνων και των ΑΦΦ, ακολουκεί τισ παγκόςμιεσ προςταγζσ για
διατιρθςθ. Δυςτυχϊσ, δεν υπάρχει αρκετι πλθροφορία οφτε για το εμπόριο αλλά οφτε και
για τθ χριςθ των ΑΦΦ ςτθν Ελλάδα. Η παροφςα Μεταπτυχιακι Διπλωματικι Εργαςία
παρουςιάηει τθν κατάςταςθ ςτο εμπόριο ΑΦΦ ςε διεκνζσ και εκνικό επίπεδο, όπωσ επίςθσ
και τισ δράςεισ και τουσ κανονιςμοφσ που αφοροφν ςτθ χριςθ και διατιρθςθ των ΑΦΦ.
΢κοπόσ τθσ είναι να αποδϊςει τθν υπάρχουςα κατάςταςθ ςτο εμπόριο των ΑΦΦ ςτθν
Ελλάδα. Επιμζρουσ ςτόχοι είναι ο προςδιοριςμόσ των κενϊν ςτισ εμπορικζσ πρακτικζσ και θ
πρόταςθ μζτρων για αειφορικι διαχείριςθ.

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1. Introduction
1.1. Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (MAPs)
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) is a group of plants including those that are
used in medicine, either traditional or conventional, and/ or those containing
essential oil (Bhattarai and Karki, 2004; Palos, et al., 2005). Essential oils are the ones
responsible for the aromatic flavor and the biological properties of MAPs and they
are complex natural mixtures of volatile secondary metabolites, isolated from
different parts of plants (Burt, 2004; Vagionas, et al., 2007).
From ancient times until now, MAPs are used for several purposes, e.g. in medicine,
as condiments in nutrition, as cosmetics or in soil stabilization (Rates, 2001; Rao, et
al., 2004; Centikaya, 2010). Specifically, the use of MAPs for medicinal purposes is
probably the oldest existing use (Shinwari and Gilani, 2003; Bhattarai and Karki,
2004) and an important aspect of several traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda,
Chinese, Tibetan, Amazonian, African traditional medicine and Unani (WHO, 1999;
Mathe and Mathe, 2008).
At the end of early 1900s there was a decline of traditional medicine and herbal
medicines, which is its most lucrative form (WHO, 2008), due to the development of
synthetic drugs. However, during the past decades there is an increase in traditional
medicine worldwide (Hanlidou, et al., 2004), even in the industrialized countries
(Rates, 2001; WHO 2007). The reasons for such an increase are multiple: green
revolution promoting natural products; free market economy creating markets and
demand for new resources; potential for new medicines (Shinwari and Gilani, 2003;
Mathe and Mathe, 2008; De Silva, 2009) and lower prices of botanical raw material
compared to alternative chemical substances (Lange, 2006).
According to WHO (2008),herbal medicines generate billions of dollars in revenue,
e.g. annual revenues in Western Europe reached US$ 5 billion in 2003-2004. In China
sales of products totaled US$ 14 billion in 2005 and in Brazil US$ 160 million in 2007.
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Herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations, and finished
herbal products that contain parts of plants or other plant materials as active
ingredients. In some Asian and African countries, 80% of the population still depend
on traditional medicine for primary health care, while in many developed countries
where 70-80% of the population has used at least on time some form of traditional
medicine including herbal medicine (WHO, 1999; Gibb, 2007).
Nowadays, MAPs are used not only for medicinal purposes, but also for cosmetic,
coloring and aromatic purposes, in herbal teas, food supplements, liquors,
insecticides, fungicides, essential oil products, perfumes and cleaning products
(Barbara, et al., 2004).
The global demand of MAPs was estimated at 40-60 billion US $ per year in 2004 and
it is presumed to be growing even more due to the improved standards of living.
There is a large trade volume from developing countries to the industrialized world
(Bhattarai and Karki, 2004). As demand for traditional medicine and MAPs is rising,
overharvesting may become an issue because approximately 80% of natural
resources are harvested from the wild (Rao, et al., 2004; Mathe and Mathe, 2008;
Mcdonald, et al., 2008; Bussmann and Sharon, 2009). The most threatened plant
species are the ones that are overharvested and these should be given priority for
actions and studies concerning their conservation (de Melo, et al., 2009). MAP
species threatened by factors similar to those threatening plant diversity in general,
and/ or are responsible for habitat loss, habitat degradation and over-harvesting
(Hamilton, 2004).
As a result of the continuing increase in MAPs trade, in the past few decades the
interest in MAPs has increased and their conservation has become a necessity
(Lange, 2006; Centicaya, 2010; Motaleb, 2010). The conservation and sustainable
use of MAPs can lay important foundations for the conservation of natural habitats
and ecological services more generally (Hamilton, 2004) and its management can
only be effected on the basis of quantitative data (Bista and Webb, 2006).
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