Botanical Bandits: Rampant Poaching Threatens Ginseng’s Survival

The delicate plant with tiny red berries has drawn thousands of scavengers to Appalachia forests, digging up roots of the ginseng plant, wiping out entire groves, for sale to Asian markets. “[W]ith wild ginseng root fetching upward of $800 a pound, untold numbers of poachers have taken to local forests, overwhelming meager law enforcement resources and leaving the plant’s survival in doubt,” reports Jake Frankel for Mountain Xpress. Conservationists are striving to protect the wild ginseng by applying dye to roots, scouting for poachers and encouraging sustainable practices. Ginseng is a traditional medicinal herb for both Chinese and US Cherokees. The Asian variety of the plant was decimated by deforestation and overharvesting, Frankel notes, and the same could happen to the US variety. The US Forest Service issues permits, but increasingly relies on a lottery, reduced collection periods and harvest limits. Enforcement is minimal, though, and North Carolina has just one US Fish and Wildlife. Organic farmers try to cultivate ginseng, but still must fend off poachers. – YaleGlobal