Conservation and sustainable wild-collection of medicinal and aromatic plants in Koprulu Kanyon National Park, Turkey

This research was carried out to determine trends in the conservation and sustainable wild-collection of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) in Koprulu Kanyon National Park located in Turkey. Within this context, various types of MAPs harvested from the wild for commercial and non-commercial purposes were investigated. In addition; marketing mechanisms of the species in trade were investigated. The research comprised surveys, interviews various stakeholder, investigations of market trends, and collection of field data on the selected MAPs. The results of the research indicate that 20 MAPs are commonly collected from the wild for commercial (e. g. generation of income) and non-commercial (e. g. food and drinks) reasons in the national park. The results of the marketing mechanism show that the marketing structure includes two chains (middlemen and trade companies) between collectors and consumers. Considering the volume of harvest and average prices of MAPs at collection levels, it was estimated that 471.80 tonnes of MAPs was harvested, and US$ 263,930 cash income was generated in the national park in 2005.