J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2003, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (Suppl.): -.

• Research Articles •    

Advances in Plant Resource Conservation in China:Sustainable Development of Plant Resources in China

LI Zhen-Yu   

Abstract: China is one of the richest developing countries in biodiversity in the world. Plant resources play an important role in its economic development. China has 43 000 known plant species; among them many are endemic genera or species that form a unique flora. The history of using plant resources in China can be traced up to the New Stone Age. Through their long-term cultivation, Chinese people have bred important plants such as rice, common buckwheat, soybean, tea, peach, persimmon, and created the refulgent agriculture civilization. Since the 1980s, under the influence of “nature regression”, research on medicine, perfume, pigment, sweetness additive, agricultural medicine plants, as well as plant gum''s wild vegetables, wild fruits and wild flowers, has greatly advanced, paving the way for better use of plant resources. In the 20th century, due to plant resources overuse and increased habitat fragmentation, many species went extinct and can now only be seen in literature. For example, Dalbergia sacerdotum has disappeared for one century. The wild ancestor, Yinpingmudan, of Paeonia suffruticosa''s — has only two individuals left. Like many other developing countries, plant resources in China have been threatened by vegetation destruction, environmental pollution and biological invasion. In this paper, some proposals concerning sustainable development of plant resources in China are provided.

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