84 

 Chiang Mai Proclamation 



WE: 



• Recognize that medicinal plants are essential in primary health care, both in self- 

 medication and in national health services; 



• Are alarmed at the consequences of loss of plant diversity around the world; 



• View with grave concern the fact that many of the plants that provide traditional and 

 modern drugs are threatened; 



• Draw the attention of the United Nations, its agencies and Member States, other 

 international agencies and their members and non-governmental organisations to: 



— The vital importance of medicinal plants in health care; 



— The increasing and unacceptable loss of these medicinal plants due to habitat 

 destruction and unsustainable harvesting practices; 



— The fact that plant resources in one country are often of critical importance to other 

 countries; 



— The significant economic value of the medicinal plants used today and the great 

 potential of the plant kingdom to provide new drugs; 



— The continuing disruption and loss of indigenous cultures, which often hold the key 

 to finding new medicinal plants that may benefit the global community; 



— The urgent need for international cooperation to establish programmes for 

 conservation of medicinal plants to ensure that adequate quantities are available for 

 future generations. 



We, the members of the Chiang Mai International Consultation, hereby call on all 

 people to commit themselves to Save the Plants the Save Lives. 



Chiang Mai, Thailand 



26 March, 1988 



Environmental Preservation Through Medicinal Plant Propagation 



Organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance have been working with third-world 

 nations in developing contractual agreements between private industry and local governments 

 by which those governments can develop a sustainable source of income through the 

 harvesting of medicinal plants. Such agreements can provide a sustainable economic base for 

 the nation as compared to the one-time cost paid for clear-cut lumber. Through an active land 



