Trade to medicinal plants contradictory on biodiversity in Zagros rangeland, Iran (Khosrow Shirin village)

Medicinal plants play a central role, not only as traditional medicines used in many cultures, but also as trade commodities which meet the demand of often distant markets. In this paper, we review global trends in the close relationship between cultivation and wild harvest of MAP species, and then make recommendations on steps that should be taken to achieve a balance between consumption, conservation and cultivation. We absorbed the plan of management of forest and rangeland of khosrow Shirin after 15 years of performance of plan. The plan involve cultivation of medicinal plant and some tress. In this context, cluster level meetings were organized with farmers, traders, herbal healers, public representatives, experts, women selfhelp groups, and nongovernment organizations and officers from government departments. Wild harvesting of MAP will continue to prevail due to the economic reasons outlined above. Sustainable wild harvest management schemes need to be supported by governments and authorities. Management plans need to be established as a standard prerequisite for any such harvesting in the wild. There is a need to monitor and audit the harvesting process to determine whether it is sustainable. Identifying the conservation benefits and costs of the different production systems for MAP should help guide policies as to whether species’ conservation should take place in nature or the nursery, or both.