A. Species
Scientific name: Panax quinquefolius
Common name(s): American Ginseng
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Montana
Country/Region: USA
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: 19 States of USA certified to export wild American ginseng
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 1978
End Year: 2013
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Gathering/Cutting/Collecting terrestrial plants and fungi or their products from the wild
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed and Medicine and hygiene
Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)
Is this use legal or illegal?: Some use is legal and some is illegal
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: Authors' assessment NB: American ginseng is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), meaning that a country must ensure that the product is obtained legally and the export is not detrimental to the survival of the species (CITES, 2015; US FWS, 2015). The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) determines if the export of wild-harvested ginseng root will be detrimental to the species survival, approves state regulation programs (see: 50 C.F.R. § 23.68, 2014), and issues permits for export.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Authors state: "Over a longer time horizon, however, post-2000 harvests are significantly lower on average than 1978–2000" Data and modelling show that despite stronger restrictions on harvest age, size, and harvest season, ginseng harvest is - 14 years after these restrictions came into effect - still not increasing. They interpret this as a likely indication that wild American ginseng has not yet found a new population equilibrium. NEVERTHELESS, authors emphasise that "Our findings do not provide evidence that ginseng populations are necessarily endangered, but support some of the underlying economic conditions that could make it possible. Populations could cross a critical threshold if the supply curve is backward-bending and the demand curve crosses in such a way that demand has a more vertical slope (less elastic) at that point and does not re-cross the supply curve at some higher price. This threshold would be an unstable equilibrium, whereby a shock into that region potentially could drive the species to extinction. However, our research was unable to determine the existence or exact price and quantity of that threshold."
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Authors highlight that "Wild American ginseng has been a source of income for rural people and export-oriented firms in the United States since the 1700s. It is thought to provide an economic safety net in Appalachia and other rural areas of eastern North America. Coal mine layoffs and drought accounted for 72% of the variation in ginseng harvest in West Virginia although this analysis did not account for the effect of price on harvest levels, or the interaction of supply and demand. The data and modelling outputs were somewhat inconclusive on economic and social sustainability and authors emphasise that "Relatively recent trends in wild American ginseng markets not explicitly modeled, but may also affect ginseng supply and would be interesting subjects for future research. First, from 2014 (our data ended in 2013) through the date of this writing, two cable television series related to ginseng harvest have been airing in the U.S. Did this publicity increase awareness of ginseng and brought additional harvesters into the forest? Second, with longer and more granular data, it may be of interest to see how other social trends, such as the opioid crisis currently affecting parts of Appalachia, might affect wild-harvesting. Third, the over-population of deer may affect ginseng reproduction."
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Authors highlight that "Wild American ginseng has been a source of income for rural people and export-oriented firms in the United States since the 1700s. It is thought to provide an economic safety net in Appalachia and other rural areas of eastern North America. Coal mine layoffs and drought accounted for 72% of the variation in ginseng harvest in West Virginia although this analysis did not account for the effect of price on harvest levels, or the interaction of supply and demand. The data and modelling outputs were somewhat inconclusive on economic and social sustainability and authors emphasise that "Relatively recent trends in wild American ginseng markets not explicitly modeled, but may also affect ginseng supply and would be interesting subjects for future research. First, from 2014 (our data ended in 2013) through the date of this writing, two cable television series related to ginseng harvest have been airing in the U.S. Did this publicity increase awareness of ginseng and brought additional harvesters into the forest? Second, with longer and more granular data, it may be of interest to see how other social trends, such as the opioid crisis currently affecting parts of Appalachia, might affect wild-harvesting. Third, the over-population of deer may affect ginseng reproduction."
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
Authors state: "Conservation of and investment in American ginseng face barriers due to difficulty in limiting access, which makes it similar to an open-access resource. Enforcement of property rights, community action, and investment in forest farming may be long term ways to resolve this situation, but these strategies are difficult to implement, given the characteristics of ginseng and its habitat. Therefore, alternative regulations may be considered. When contemplating these regulations, the ecological and economic characteristics will impact efficacy." Authors emphasise that ginseng is vulnerable to deer browsing and that deer populations are increasing. Thus, deer control is an implicit additional measure to protect wild ginseng
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2018-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2023-01-04