Goals and Objectives of the MPSG

Our overall aim is to support and promote efforts leading to medicinal plant conservation and sustainable use. Our approach is to provide information, tools, and policy advice, focusing particularly on actions that reduce threats to endangered species and habitats.

The SSC Strategic Plan 2001-2010:

(www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/news/stratplanintro.htm) identifies priority objectives and targets for the Commission to which all SSC specialist groups are expected to contribute.

Objective 1: Decisions and policies affecting biodiversity influenced by sound interdisciplinary scientific information.
Objective 2: Modes of production and consumption that promote the conservation of biodiversity adopted by users of natural resources.
Objective 3: Capacity increased to provide timely, innovative, and practical solutions to conservation problems.

MPSG workplan for 2005-2008:

Our proposed workplan for the current IUCN quadrennium (2005-2008), enabling the MPSG to contribute to the priority targets of the SSC Strategic Plan within the boundaries of our stated aim, has the following objectives:

Establishment of regional sub-groups and programmes of work for the MPSG in the Pacific, Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, North Asia, and Africa (regional sub-groups have already been established in South Asia and the Caribbean/South America).
Expansion of global conservation assessment of medicinal plants through regional Red List training and assessment projects, identification of regional Red List Authorities for medicinal plants in collaboration with other SSC Specialist Groups, and support for regional medicinal plant conservation data management capacity.
Development of an International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP), a current MPSG project in collaboration with IUCN-Canada, WWF and TRAFFIC Germany, with support from Bundesamt für Naturschutz, Germany.
Publication, distribution, and support for implementation of the revised Guidelines for the Conservation of Medicinal Plants, in partnership with WHO, WWF, and TRAFFIC.
Revision of the #Annotations for medicinal and aromatic plants included in the CITES appendices
Publication of our newsletter, Medicinal Plant Conservation, and enhanced use of the MPSG website to effectively communicate current issues and actions relevant to the overall aim of the MPSG.