Medicinal plant conservation: Creating awareness through the Calgary Zoo.

摘要

There is a lack of public awareness surrounding the significant link between medicinal plant conservation and herbal medicines. Herbal medicines are used by approximately 80% of the world's population in the treatment of human illness and disease and are therefore important to the maintenance of human health. However, many wild populations of medicinal plant species are being threatened by overexploitation and habitat destruction. This project deals with the importance of medicinal plant conservation, particularly given its relationship to herbal medicines and human health, and the need for creating a public awareness about related issues through environmental education programming at the Calgary Zoo. There is an underutilization of the plant collection within the Calgary Zoo's Botanical Garden with respect to medicinal plants. In addition, there is a lack of educational programming surrounding medicinal plant conservation and related issues such as that of herbal medicine and human health. The objective of this project is to develop a Medicinal Plant Education Resource that will serve as a foundation of information for supporting the development of effective medicinal plant conservation programming at the Calgary Zoo. A Medicinal Plant Education Resource was developed consisting of a Medicinal Plant Database and a Medicinal Plant Information Booklet. The Medicinal Plant Database provides information specific to medicinal plants identified within the Calgary Zoo's Botanical Garden collection. The Medicinal Plant Information Booklet provides supplementary information about medicinal plants, medicinal plant conservation, herbal medicines and the relationship to human health.;Key words. medicinal plant, medicinal plant conservation, herbal medicine, human health, botanical garden, Calgary Zoo, environmental education, effective environmental education programming.