Ranking Tool for Medicinal Plants at Risk of Being Overharvested in the Wild

We developed an adaptable, transparent tool used to quantify and compare vulnerability to overharvest for wild collected medicinal plants and to create a list of the most threatened plants. The United Plant Savers is known for developing “The List” of medicinal plants at risk for overharvest (available at www.unitedplantsavers.org). Our new tool scores species according to their life history, the effects of harvest, their abundance and range, habitat, and demand. The resulting rankings, based on explicit criteria rather than expert opinion, will make it easier to discuss areas of vulnerability and set conservation priorities. We will discuss the tool and plants that are ranked as At-Risk, including difficult to score Echinacea, Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) and Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra). Current scores are based on independent rankings from at least three experts in the field. The adaptable nature of the tool will allow for adjustments as more information is added.