Herbal Plants, Uses to be Listed Quickly
Too little being done to save local wisdom
Aphaluck Bhatiasevi
The Public Health Ministry would have to immediately work on
listing important herbal and medicinal plants which are in danger of becoming
extinct, along with the knowledge about them, permanent secretary Vallop
Thainuea said yesterday.
Dr Vallop has asked the Department for Development of Thai Traditional and
Alternative Medicine to immediately work on the list, so that the plants can be
prevented from exploitation by foreign researchers.
``This is an important issue about local plant wisdom. We must do something to
save that knowledge before the persons who have it, die. If we don't do anything
now, it may be too late a few years from now,'' he said.
Following endorsement of the United Nation's Biodiversity Convention in 1992,
Thailand was forced to open the country for equal access to environmental
resources. This led the country to issue the law on Protection and Prevention of
Thai Intelligence on Traditional Medicine in 1999.
Although a plant protection law is already in place, the country has still to
come out with a list of plants that require protection.
Technical loopholes in the law are also contributing to the delay in the issuing
of the list, said the department's director-general Vichai Chokeviwat.
The department is in the process of electing a committee which would be
responsible for nominating members of a panel who would then be responsible for
outlining the list.
Dr Vichai said it would take time because the authorities involved would have to
study the plants in detail, to see which species should be protected.
According to the law, plants under the protection list would have to be cultured
in nurseries if they are near extinction. Any export or research on the plants
would also require permission from the concerned authorities.
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