Ownership and Sustainability Issues of Botanical Medicines

Abstract

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 70% of the world’s population, especially those who re- side in the tropics, rely almost exclusively on plants as a primary source of medicines. Over the last decades an awareness has grown of the pharmacological potential of medicinal plants, and a potentially bright future for drugs developed from natural products. At the same time, the use of plants in medical practice contributes to the grow- ing threat to species and ecosystem preservation. This paper expands the narrow view of plants as sources for pharmaceutical development to discuss botanical medi- cine from an economic and human development perspec- tive. I consider strategies that can ensure that the benefits that accrue from utilization of indigenous plant knowledge become positive forces for human development. Issues of sustainability are discussed vis à vis poverty, protection of ecosystems, and the potential for future use and long- term viability of medicinal species. Issues of ownership also are presented in the context of intellectual property rights, with particular reference to the inadequacy of pat- ent