Survey on threatened medicinal plants diversity of Northwestern Syria
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Throughout history, many plant species have been used as natural medicines to prevent and treat human diseases. Due to its geographical location, climate, and history, Syria contains a remarkable diversity of medicinal plants. However, in recent years a prolonged period of conflict has resulted in widespread ecosystem destruction, human population displacement, and disruption of farming practices. Although poorly documented this is believed to have resulted in a significant decline in medicinal plant populations. ex situ conservation initiatives, the locations of medicinal plants exposed to deterioration were identified from the results of a questionnaire. Seeds from seven species: chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.), wild thyme (Thymus capitatus L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.), caper (Capparis spinosa L.), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), and watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. BR.) were collected for the establishment of ex situ collections in the future. We discuss the potential for recovery initiatives to protect and conserve these species and to support the sustainable use of medicinal plant genetic resources in Northern Syria. Such endeavours are vital for the continued well-being of the Syrian population and humanity as a whole.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright of the articles published in Genetic Resources and grant the journal right of first publication with open access. All articles published in Genetic Resource are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to download, share and adapt the work for commercial and non-commercial purposes as long as proper attribution to the original article is given. Genetic Resources permits and encourages authors to post items submitted to the journal (including the publisher's final layout) on personal websites or institutional repositories after acceptance and/or publication, while providing bibliographic details that credit their publication in Genetic Resources.
Agelet, A, M Bonet, and J Vallès (2000). “Homegardens and their role as a main source of medicinal plants in mountain regions of Catalonia (Iberian Peninsula)”. Economic Botany 54, pp. 295–309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02864783. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02864783
Alachkar, A et al. (2011). “Traditional medicine in Syria: folk medicine in Aleppo governorate”. Nat Prod Commun 6(1), pp. 21366051–21366051. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/50265095_Traditional_Medicine_in_Syria_Folk_Medicine_in_Aleppo_Governorate. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X1100600119
Alamholo, M, Sheikhmous Murad, and A (2023). “Antimicrobial activity and medicinal plants in the North and East of Syria: a review study”. Avicenna J Clin Microbiol Infect 10(2), pp. 80–87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34172/ajcmi.3457. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34172/ajcmi.3457
Asiimwe, S et al. (2021). “Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plant species used by communities around Mabira and Mpanga Central Forest Reserves, Uganda”. Trop Med Health 49(1), p. 52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-021-00341-z. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-021-00341-z
Bariˇceviˇc, D et al. (2002). Report of a Working Group on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. First meeting, 12-14 September 2002, Gozd Martuljek, Slovenia. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. URL: https://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/fileadmin/bioversity/publications/pdfs/984_Report_of_a_working_group_on_medicinal_and_aromatic_plants.pdf.
Chacko, S M et al. (2010). “Beneficial effects of green tea: a literature review”. Chin Med 5, pp. 13–13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1749-8546-5-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1749-8546-5-13
Chen, S L et al. (2016). “onservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants: problems, progress, and prospects”. Chinese medicine 11(37). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-016-0108-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-016-0108-7
Chen, S et al. (2010). “Validation of the ITS2 region as a novel DNA barcode for identifying medicinal plant species”. PLoS ONE 5, pp. 8613–8613. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0008613. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0008613
Daily, G (1997). Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Covelo, CA: Island Press, p. 392. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305063590_Nature’s_Services_Societal_Dependence_on_Natural_Ecosystems.
Al-Darvish, M, A Al Kaddour, et al. (2022). “Survey and conservation of crop landraces in northwest Syria”. Genetic Resources 3(5), pp. 51–58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46265/genresj.USTS1801. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46265/genresj.USTS1801
Al-Darvish, M, M Al Kaddour, et al. (2023). “Wild relatives of fruit trees in Syria: Genetic resources threatened by conflict”. Genetic Resources 4(7), pp. 68–75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46265/genresj.ETES2274. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46265/genresj.ETES2274
Ecological Society of America (1997). “Ecosystem Services: Benefits Supplied to Human Societies by Natural Ecosystems”. Issues in Ecology 2. URL: https://wvhighlands.org/highlands-voice/VoicePast/VoiceJun99/EcoServices.JS.June99Voice.txt.htm.
FAO (1996). Country Report To The Fao International Technical Conference On Plant Genetic Resource-Damascus. URL: https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/agphome/documents/PGR/SoW1/east/SYRIANAR.PDF.
FAO (2001). Non-Wood Forest Products In The Near East: A Regional And National Overview. URL: https://www.fao.org/4/y1797e/y1797e.pdf.
FAO (2015). National Strategy for Conservation and Management of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Lebanon 2015–2035 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Ministry of Agriculture). URL: https://www.fao.org/documents/card/fr/c/4b1c2050-6513-4159-9ebd-1f9213d4a161.
FAO & ITPGRFA (2022). Country Report on the Implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). URL: https://www.fao.org/3/cc7117en/cc7117en.pdf.
Gaafar, R (2021). The Environmental Impact of Syria’s Conflict: A Preliminary Survey of Issues. URL: https://ceobs.org/ari-the-environmental-impact-of-syrias-conflict-a-preliminary-survey-of-issues/.
Geoglam Crop Monitor (2021). Syrian Arab Republic: Conflict and Food Insecurity Updated 21 January, 2021. URL: https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/conflict-report-syrian-arab-republic-conflict-and-food-insecurity.
Hamilton, A C (2004). “Medicinal plants, conservation, and livelihoods”. Biodivers Conserv 13, pp. 1477–1517. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227147775_Medicinal_Plants_Conservation_and_Livelihoods. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BIOC.0000021333.23413.42
Handa, S S, D D Rakesh, and K Vasisht (2006). Compendium of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants ASIA. Vol. 2, pp. 267–272. URL: https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/2009-10/Compendium_of_medicinal_and_aromatic_plants_volume_2_0.pdf.
Kandari, L S et al. (2012). “Ethnomedicinal knowledge of medicinal plants for healthcare practices among tribal people of Odisha, India”. Journal of Forest Research 17(2), pp. 138–150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4172/2168-9776.1000104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4172/2168-9776.1000104
Khatib, C, A Nattouf, and Mih Agha (2021). Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Herbs in the Western Region in Syria (Latakia and Tartus). Damascus University. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-355008/v1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-355008/v1
Knight, J et al. (2023). “Compliance with the Nagoya protocol in the Southern African Development Community”. South African Journal of Botany 159, pp. 302–318. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2023.06.015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2023.06.015
Kumar, P (2006). “The Economics of Medicinal Plants: Are High Commercial Values Enough to Ensure Biodiversity Conservation?” In: Conserving Medicinal Species: securing a healthy future. Ed. by S Miththapala. url: https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/asia_pacific_rbap/Nature-Counts-SDG-3.pdf. Asia: IUCN: Ecosystems and Livelihoods Group, pp. 9–15.
Kywan, K (2016). Analyzing Gene Centres with the Help of the Checklist Method - the Case of Syria. PhD Dissertation. Institute of Crop Sciences of the University Kassel- Germany. URL: http://www.urn.fi/urn:nbn:de:hebis.
Nahashon, M (2013). Conservation of wild-harvested medicinal plant species in Tanzania: Chain and consequences of commercial trade on medicinal plant species. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University. URL: https://docplayer.net/43016600-Conservation-of-wild-harvested-medicinal-plant-species-in-tanzania.html.
Nalawade, S M et al. (2003). “Studies on tissue culture of Chinese medicinal plant resources in Taiwan and their sustainable utilization”. Bot Bull Acad Sin 44, pp. 79–98. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228807317_Studies_on_tissue_culture_of_Chinese_medicinal_plant_resources_in_Taiwan_and_their_sustainable_utilization.
Nasrallah, Y, S A Aouadj, and H Khatir (2020). “Impact of the exploitation of medicinal plants on biodiversity conservation in Saida and El Bayadh regions, Algeria”. Biodiversity Research and Conservation 6(1), pp. 11–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/biorc-2020-0011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/biorc-2020-0011
Al-Oudat, M and G Laham (1994). Medicinal plants and their uses, dar al ahaly of the printing and publishing and distribution. 4th. Damascus, Syria. URL: https://kobra.uni-kassel.de/bitstream/handle/123456789/2016060750364/DissertationKhouloudKywan.pdf?sequence=4%5C&isAllowed=y.
Pakdemirli, B, N Biri¸sik, and M Akay (2021). “General Overview of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Turkey”. ANADOLU Ege Tarımsal Ara¸stırma Enstitüsü Dergisi 31, pp. 126–135. URL: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/anadolu/issue/62817/950165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18615/anadolu.950165
Rajasekharan, P E and W Shabir (2020). “Future of Threatened Medicinal Plants in the Era of Anthropocene and Climate Change”. In: Conservation and Utilization of Threatened Medicinal Plants. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39793-7_19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39793-7_19
Roberson, E B (2008). A Native Plant Conservation Campaign Report. Medicinal plant at Risk. URL: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/papers/Medicinal_Plants_042008_lores.pdf.
Saxena, Cole I B, P K Murch, and S (2007). “Medicinal biotechnology in the genus scutellaria”. In Vitro Cell Dev Plant 43, pp. 318–327. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-007-9055-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-007-9055-4
Syrian Government, UNDP, GEF (2009). The Fourth National Report on Biodiversity in the Syrian Arab Republic. URL: https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/sy/sy-nr-04-en.pdf.
Valderrabano, M et al. (2018). Conserving Wild Plants in the South and East Mediterranean Region. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.21.en. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.21.en
Walter, S (2001). Non-wood forest products in Africa. A regional and national overview. Les produits forestiers non ligneux en Afrique. Un aperçu régional et national. – Rome, FAO Forestry Department (Working Paper/Document de Travail FOPW/01/1). URL: https://www.fao.org/3/y1515b/y1515b.pdf.
This journal has been conceived as part of the