Brazil Maps Its Medicinal Plants

To protect the treasure trove of herbal medicines from pirates, Brazil’s environmental agency, IBAMA, is creating a country-wide database and research center to map its medicinal plants. So far, the agency has cataloged 300 species – less than 10 percent – hidden in the vast Amazon jungle or submerged in wetlands. IBAMA estimates the global market for plant medicines is worth many billions of dollars annually so it is no surprise Brazil wants to protect and profit from its home-grown cures.

Bio-pirates frequently coerce poor Amazon tribespeople into extracting plant remedies for export. In an area larger than Western Europe that’s easy to do. “They receive a pittance for their work,” says IBAMA President Hamilton Casara.

More than 85 percent of the medicines used by over 80 percent of the developed world come from some 250,000 medicinal plant species, according to the World Health Organization. The United States and Germany are among the top importers of Brazilian medicinal plants.

IBAMA’s push to protect its plants will include sustainable development projects for far-flung communities to provide them with alternative income, Casara says. The agency is working with 2,000 people to form nationwide networks that will work with police to stop plant and animal trafficking.

The crackdown coincides with a bid by Brazil to guarantee intellectual property rights for its indigenous populations for many herbal remedies, passed down through generations. Brazil announced this goal at the December meeting of the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organization.