ABSTRACT
A common practice cited by Khalil involves the screening of medicinal plants by foreign expeditionary forces. In contrast, in China there are very harsh laws against exploitation and destruction of medicinal plant species. A systematic conservation program specifies the manner of harvesting, stage of growth of plant, parts to be harvested, and the amounts harvested. Human population expansion, poor agricultural practices, fires, erosion, animal grazing, and economic exploitation by multinationals with no sensible conservation plan often result in habitat loss. Traditional selection methods to propagate high yield and disease-resistant strains of various crops and the conservation of their germplasms are important forerunners to modern mechanized agriculture. National cancer institute-funded contractors have collected plant materials from tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Madagascar, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. The countries covered in Asia included Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Taiwan, Nepal, Pakistan, and China.
