Climate Change Dependence in Ex Situ Conservation of Wild Medicinal Plants in Crete, Greece

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Over 80% of people globally rely on traditional medicine, primarily using medicinal plants, leading to rising demand both domestically and internationally. This has impacted natural ecosystems due to wild harvesting. Cultivating these medicinal species has been proposed as a conservation solution. However, in today’s climate change-focused world, smallholder farmers face uncertainty regarding how cultivation benefits match up against climate impacts, increasing their stress. The effects of climate change on the ex situ cultivation of ten significant medicinal plants in Crete, Greece, were analyzed by predicting their habitat suitability in future climates. The findings showed varied effects across species, categorizing them into three based on potential cultivation area changes. This data, showing where these areas might increase or decrease, can guide regional management strategies to assist practitioners. ABSTRACT: Over 80% of the global population addresses their primary healthcare needs using traditional medicine based on medicinal plants. Consequently, there’s a rising demand for these plants for both household and industrial use at local, regional, national, and international levels. However, wild harvesting has negatively impacted natural ecosystems. Cultivating medicinal species has been proposed as a conservation strategy to alleviate this pressure. Yet, in this age of global climate change concerns, smallholder farmers’ views on the benefits of such cultivation clash with the uncertainties of climate change impacts, amplifying their anxieties. In this context, the climate change dependence of ex situ cultivation of ten wild medicinal taxa with significant ethnopharmacological interest in Crete, Greece, were studied, projecting their potential habitat suitability under various future climate scenarios. The results demonstrated species-specific effects. Based on the potential cultivation area gains and losses, these effects can be categorized into three groups. We also outlined the spatial patterns of these gains and losses, offering valuable insights for regional management strategies benefiting individual practitioners.