OpinionAbstract
Biological resources are the basis for human survival and development and have a direct bearing on our wellbeing. Humans must respect nature and follow its ways. Medicinal biological resources are important strategic biological resources, especially at the risk of loss and abuse. The cross-border trade based on economic interests has led to the over exploitation and abuse of biological species resources. A new pattern of biological resources conservation has largely taken shape, with improvements to the legal system, supervision mechanisms and governing capacity for eco-conservation, marking the beginning of a new era for biological resources conservation and utilization.
Keywords: Medicinal Biological Resources; Cross-Border Trade
Introduction
Biological resources are strategic resources for human survival
and sustainable social development and have a direct bearing
on our wellbeing, also the most basic component of biodiversity.
Taking agriculture as an example, in the past few decades, new
plant varieties have emerged one after another all over the
world, and the grain yield per mu has reached new highs, which
is due to the contribution of agricultural Germplasm. Biological
species resources are at risk of loss and abuse. Climate change,
environmental pollution，invasive species and deforestation, A
special analysis carried out by the journal Nature indicates that
an astonishing 41% of all amphibians on the planet now face
extinction while 26% of mammals are similarly threatened [1]. The
trade based on economic interests has led to the over exploitation
and abuse of biological species resources, the development of
new bioengineering technology has accelerated the possibility of
biological resources becoming real productivity.
Medicinal biological resources are important strategic
biological resources in the coming era. With the increasing demand
for medicinal plants, the protection of related wild plants is also
facing increasingly severe challenges. Among the 28187 medicinal
plants recorded by (State of the World’s Plants 2017) of the Kew
Royal Botanical Gardens, 1280 are protected by the Convention
on international trade in endangered species of wild animals and
plants [2]. At present, the total annual demand of China’s market
exceeds 600000 tons, of which nearly 300000 tons are exported
[3]. From 2008 to 2010, a total of 41 medical plant species and 285
batches, involving 55 countries and regions, were recorded at all
the ports of Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau in China
(except Tibet). A total of 276 batches (97% in total) were exported
to 53 countries and regions. 70% of the varieties of commonly
used Chinese herbal medicines still depend on wild resources. In
the past 25 years, the output value of traditional Chinese medicine
industry has increased by more than 20% annually. Some famous
international pharmaceutical companies have strengthened the
research and development of natural drugs.
The types and quantity of Chinese medicinal materials exported
have increased significantly, and the large export of medicinal plant extracts has caused great pressure on wild medicinal biological
resources. The protection of medicinal biological resources has
become a key issue of biodiversity protection. Currently, as species
worldwide are becoming extinct at an alarming rate, biodiversity
loss and ecosystem degradation pose a major risk to human survival
and development. The Convention on Biological Diversity came
into effect, which set three objectives the conservation of biological
diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and
equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of
genetic resources, ushering in a new era for the protection of global
biodiversity. There is systematic planning for biosecurity risk
control and governance. Efforts have been made to improve the
mechanism for preventing the invasion of alien species, promote
the sound development of biotechnologies, and strengthen the
protection, supervision and regulation of biogenetic resources. The
aim is to protect nature and live in harmony with it.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Funding Statement
This work was supported by grants from Hainan Major Science and Technology Project (No. ZDKJ202002); the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFF0210302, 2017YFF0210300).
References
- R Monastersky (2014) Species are disappearing quickly-but researchers are struggling to assess how bad the problem is. Nature 516(7530): 158-159, a2.
- (2017) State of the World’s Plants. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.
- (2008) Promulgation of Outline of National Planning for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Species Resources. The Chinese Livestock and Poultry Breeding 06: 7.
