Patent analysis as a novel method for exploring commercial interest in wild harvested species

Masters, Susanne; Andel, Tinde van; Boer, Hugo de; Heijungs, Reinout; Gravendeel, Barbara

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108454

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…As recently reviewed by Masters et al [ 267 ], there are many Salep patents including both industrial and medicinal products, which are easily found even with a quick search on e-commerce platforms like eBay. As highlighted in Table 1 , this traditional preparation is still very popular in Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, and in neighbouring Iran as well, increasing the risk of extinction for several species [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 139 , 165 ].…”

Section: Conservation Concerns and Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional, Therapeutic Uses and Phytochemistry of Terrestrial European Orchids and Implications for Conservation

Bazzicalupo

Calevo

Smeriglio

et al. 2023

Plants

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The Orchidaceae family accounts for about 28,000 species, and most of them are mentioned in the folk medicine of nations around the world. The use of terrestrial orchids in European and Mediterranean regions has been reported since ancient times, but little information is available on their medicinal properties, as well as on their phytochemicals and biological activities. However, plant collection for human use is still listed as one of the main threats for terrestrial orchids, alongside other menacing factors such as wrong habitat management and disturbance to symbionts, such as pollinators and mycorrhizal fungi. Therefore, the primary aim of this review was to resume and discuss available information regarding the past and current popular uses of European orchids. We then grouped phytochemical data to evaluate the presence of bioactive compounds of pharmacological relevance, and we discussed whether these could support the therapeutic employment of the different organs. Finally, we briefly debated the sustainability of orchid utilizations, considering the different threatening factors and conservation actions including plant propagation methods.

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Section: Conservation Concerns and Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional, Therapeutic Uses and Phytochemistry of Terrestrial European Orchids and Implications for Conservation

Bazzicalupo

Calevo

Smeriglio

et al. 2023

Plants

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“…This protection lasts for up to 20 years, but patenting is recommended only in cases where the innovation concerned has signi cant commercial potential, due to the costs associated with obtaining and maintaining them 21 . Manual patent analysis has been used to draw conclusions on access and bene t sharing for marine biological resources 22,23 , and to understand diversifying uses of wild orchids 24 . We propose to expand this approach through large-scale scraping, and machine learning analysis, of patent data, supporting the proactive management of wildlife trade towards sustainability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early-warning of trends in commercial wildlife trade through novel machine-learning analysis of patent filing

Hinsley,

Challender,

Masters

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Unsustainable wildlife trade imperils thousands of species, but efforts to identify and reduce these threats are hampered by rapidly evolving commercial markets. Businesses trading wildlife-derived products innovate to remain competitive, and the patents they file to protect their innovations also provide an early-warning of market shifts. We develop a novel machine-learning approach to analyse patent-filing trends, and apply it to patents filed from 1970–2020 related to six traded taxa that vary in trade legality, threat level, and use type: rhinoceroses, pangolins, bears, sturgeon, horseshoe crabs, and caterpillar fungus. We found 27,308 patents, showing 130% per-year increases, compared to a background rate of 104%. Innovation led to diversification, including new fertilizer products using illegal-to-trade rhinoceros horn, and novel farming methods for pangolins. Stricter regulation did not generally correlate with reduced patenting. Patents reveal how wildlife-related businesses predict, adapt to, and create market shifts, providing data to underpin proactive wildlife-trade management approaches.

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“…Import and export of salep from Iran to Turkey and Turkey to Germany, and into Jordan has also been documented (Ghorbani et al 2014a;Kasparek and Grimm 1999;Lev and Amar 2002). Salep is also the subject of global patent applications in materials manufacture and novel medicines (Masters et al 2020). Orchid genera used for salep are difficult to cultivate on a commercial scale for their tubers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying an online wildlife trade using a web crawler

et al. 2022

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Legally protected plants are illegally traded through online sales platforms and orchids are a significant component of this wildlife trade. This study focused on salep, a compound product made from wild collected orchid tubers from several genera—including Anacamptis, Dactylorhiza, Himantoglossum, Ophrys, Orchis, Serapias—whose harvest endangers some of the species used, despite their collection and sale being restricted by national and international legislation. Using a custom designed web crawler in combination with DNA barcoding of a subset of products over 18 months 1942 items of salep were detected as sold at a total value of US$ 37,775, estimated to be equivalent to 90,000 to 180,000 wild orchids being destructively harvested. Wild harvested tubers traded at a value of $0.21 and equivalent cultivated orchids have a market price of $16–28; cultivation is currently no viable alternative to wild harvesting. Using a web crawler on open trade sites contributes to knowledge on illegal wildlife trade, which can be used to address illegal plant trade at the national and international level.

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Patent analysis as a novel method for exploring commercial interest in wild harvested species

Cited by 11 publications

References 32 publications

Traditional, Therapeutic Uses and Phytochemistry of Terrestrial European Orchids and Implications for Conservation

Traditional, Therapeutic Uses and Phytochemistry of Terrestrial European Orchids and Implications for Conservation

Early-warning of trends in commercial wildlife trade through novel machine-learning analysis of patent filing

Quantifying an online wildlife trade using a web crawler

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