THREATENED MEDICINAL PLANTS OF UKRAINE: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT PROTECTION STATUS

• Main Author: Valentyna M. MINARCHENKO
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi 2017-12-01
• Series: Journal of Plant Development
• Subjects: threatened medicinal plants; Ukraine; population trend
• Online Access: http://www.plant-journal.uaic.ro/docs/2017/11.pdf

More than 2 200 vascular species of Ukraine were investigated as medicinal plants, containing biologically active substances which are used at present or can be used in the future for medicinal purposes, including production of commercial drugs. 1 975 from this number are wild plants and 537 are threatened in Ukraine and/or in Europe. For many medicinal plant currently highly threatened by direct or indirect human activities, which lead to transformation and loss of habitat. The overall purpose of the paper is to show the threats, current population trend and protection status of threatened species of medicinal plants. It has been established that the future of wild resource more than half (52%) of analyzed medicinal plants in Ukraine is at risk as are currently highly threatened the loss of its habitat. The current population trend of these species is mainly declining on assessment to Ukraine. The population trend near of 43.5% accessed species considered as stable. The state of only 3.7% of analyzed medicinal plants in Ukraine may be assessed as increasing.