eprintid: 10205434 rev_number: 7 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/20/54/34 datestamp: 2025-02-28 11:24:34 lastmod: 2025-02-28 11:24:34 status_changed: 2025-02-28 11:24:34 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Mykhailenko, Olha creators_name: Jalil, Banaz creators_name: McGaw, Lyndy J creators_name: Echeverría, Javier creators_name: Takubessi, Marce creators_name: Heinrich, Michael title: Climate change and the sustainable use of medicinal plants: a call for "new" research strategies ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B02 divisions: C08 divisions: D10 divisions: G09 keywords: climate change, conservation strategies, ecosystem factors, endangered medicinal plants, ethnopharmacology, key sustainability indicators, sustainable practices, traditional medicine note: Copyright © 2025 Mykhailenko, Jalil, McGaw, Echeverría, Takubessi and Heinrich. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. abstract: Climate change and human activities severely impact the viability of plants and ecosystems, threatening the environment, biodiversity, and the sustainable development of plant-based products. Biotic and abiotic (ecosystem) determinants affect species distribution and long-term survival, which in turn influence the quality of plants used as herbal medicines and other high-value products. In recent decades, diverse anthropogenic impacts have significantly affected these quality aspects. Climate change, excessive plant exploitation, habitat loss, species vulnerability, and other factors have adversely affected the growth, reproduction, and adaptation of species populations, as well as the quality and volume of primary plant materials supplied to pharmaceutical markets. Despite these growing challenges, there is limited knowledge of potential strategies to prevent or mitigate these impacts, particularly for vulnerable species collected from the wild or harvested from traditional production systems. Hence, effective strategies for preserving and increasing plant populations are urgently needed. In this study, we propose a new framework including the main sustainability factors to better understand and address the vulnerability of a species, hence mitigate the impact of climate change. We assess the applicability of our proposed framework via seven case studies of vulnerable species (i.e., Aquilaria malaccensis Lam., Boswellia sacra Flück., Crocus sativus L., Panax quinquefolius L., Pilocarpus microphyllus Stapf ex Wardlew., Rhodiola rosea L., and Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov.) from main biogeographic realms, all widely used as medicinal plants. These species present various challenges related to the sustainability of their use, impacting their current and future status locally and globally. Their economic importance, combined with rising demands and specific risks of overexploitation, are also key factors considered here. The suggested framework for the sustainability of medicinal and other high-value plant-based products in the phytopharmaceutical industry emphasises strategies that promote conservation and sustainable resource use. It can also be adapted for other vulnerable species requiring urgent attention. date: 2025-02-03 date_type: published publisher: Frontiers Media SA official_url: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1496792 oa_status: green full_text_type: pub language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 2359819 doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1496792 medium: Electronic-eCollection pii: 1496792 lyricists_name: Jalil, Banaz lyricists_id: BJALI32 actors_name: Booker, Anthony actors_name: Harris, Jean actors_id: AJBOO99 actors_id: JAHAR68 actors_role: owner actors_role: impersonator full_text_status: public publication: Frontiers in Pharmacology volume: 15 article_number: 1496792 event_location: Switzerland issn: 1663-9812 citation: Mykhailenko, Olha; Jalil, Banaz; McGaw, Lyndy J; Echeverría, Javier; Takubessi, Marce; Heinrich, Michael; (2025) Climate change and the sustainable use of medicinal plants: a call for "new" research strategies. Frontiers in Pharmacology , 15 , Article 1496792. 10.3389/fphar.2024.1496792 <https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1496792>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10205434/1/Climate%20change%20and%20the%20sustainable%20use%20of%20medicinal%20plants%20a%20call%20for%20new%20research%20strategies.pdf