Medicinal-Cosmetic Potential of the Local Endemic Plants of Crete (Greece), Northern Morocco and Tunisia: Priorities for Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation of Neglected and Underutilized Phytogenetic Resources

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Medicinal-aromatic plants are important sources of valuable products for human and animal health but also as ornamentals. Since very few studies exist on the domestication of neglected and underutilized plants (NUPs), we aimed to document and evaluate the medicinal-cosmetic potential of 399 local endemic NUPs confined to Crete (223), the Mediterranean coast-Rif of Morocco (94), and Tunisia (82). A new methodological scheme was developed through three multidisciplinary co-creative workshops by experts and was adjusted by end-users to point-scoring of nine attributes evaluating the potential of the targeted NUPs in the medicinal-cosmetic sector (results demonstrated as percentage of the maximum possible score). The latter were further linked and discussed with respect to feasibility and readiness timescale evaluations for sustainable exploitation of the focal NUPs. A great diversity of studied NUPs (30 taxa, 11 families) was detected as promising (scores 35–94.44%), and 8 taxa (half of which are threatened) were identified as the most prominent taxa for the medicinal-cosmetic sector. Although ex-situ conservation efforts and applied research work are needed to unlock the full potential of the local endemic NUPs, the sustainable exploitation of high-scored cases can be fastened through targeted species-specific research bridging extant research gaps and facilitating conservation and stakeholder attraction. ABSTRACT: Medicinal-aromatic plants (MAPs) are important sources for the development of new valuable products of interest to human and animal health, and are also used as ornamentals for the horticulture industry. However, the increased global demand and the uncontrolled exploitation of these plants constitute a threat to their sustainability. To date, few scientific investigations have focused on MAPs valorization and their domestication. The purpose of this study was to evaluate for the first time the medicinal-cosmetic potential of 399 local endemic Mediterranean plants confined to Crete (223 taxa), the Mediterranean coast-Rif of Morocco (94), and Tunisia (82). The new methodological scheme was developed by experts through three multidisciplinary co-creative workshops and was adjusted by end-users to point-scoring of nine attributes evaluating the potential of the targeted neglected and underutilized plants (NUPs) in the medicinal-cosmetic sector. The results were demonstrated as percentage of the maximum possible score. These assessments were further linked and discussed with respect to feasibility and readiness timescale evaluations for sustainable exploitation of the focal NUPs. A great diversity of local endemic NUPs (30 taxa, 11 families) were associated with interesting medicinal-cosmetic properties (>35% up to 94.44%). Among them, 8 taxa showed the highest medicinal-cosmetic potential (>55% of maximum possible score), half of which are threatened with extinction. Although ex-situ conservation efforts and applied research work are needed to safeguard and unlock the full potential of the local endemic NUPs evaluated herein, the proposed multifaceted evaluation scheme revealed that some local endemic NUPs of the studied regions can be sustainably exploited in short- or medium-term, following successful examples of Cretan NUPs e.g., Origanum dictramnus. The sustainable exploitation of high scored taxa of the studied regions can be fastened through targeted species-specific research bridging extant research gaps and facilitating conservation and stakeholder attraction.