There are around 30,000 species of endangered plants worth billions of dollars that require permission for harvesting from the government. Permits are necessary to protect those endangered species or else they will be extinct. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a covenant among governments globally. It is to ensure that the international commercial activities with the wild plants do not make them vulnerable. CITES was conceived in 1975 with 80 countries globally to protect endangered plants. Realizing the importance of preserving the endangered plants, the participating members of CITES have risen to 169. The exotic plant species are used to source varied products like food, medicine, timber, tourist curios, and others. So permits are necessary to protect the endangered plants, or else overtrading will make those species extinct from the earth’s surface. CITES has provisioned harvesting parameters based on international trading requirements. 

Endangered Species Act of 1973

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was among the first Federal regulations to preserve endangered plants. It was during the 1960s and initial years of the 1970s, people became very concerned about the extinction of different species of plants owing to human exploitation. Section 3 of the Act comprises the list of subspecies and varieties of plants that are categorized as endangered plants. For instance, the subspecies Argemone pleiacantha ssp. Pinnatisecta is on the list of endangered plant species. The Act also defines endangered plants as those species that are on the verge of extinction. Harvesting those plants for commercial activities is an offense and is subjected to the permission of the Federal authorities.

Permits on harvesting endangered plants

The Preservation of native flora of Florida of the 2021 Florida Statutes terms it illegal to harvest, grow, or destroy any endangered plant species on private or public properties. To protect those endangered species from the danger of extinction, the individual willing to grow such species ought to take permission from the competent authorities. The Act further states that it is unlawful to destroy or harvest endangered plants intentionally either on public or private properties. If there is any requirement for such things, necessary permits from the competent authorities are necessary. Similarly, any person trading, selling, or negotiating any such species of endangered plants needs to have the requisite permit from the authorities. 

Green Pitcher Plant – an endangered specie

The green pitcher plant (Sarracenia oreophila) is listed in CITES as an endangered plant species. It is a popular item of the horticulture trade. There is an active association between the State, Federal, and private agencies to recover the green pitcher plant from the verge of extinction. CITES issues limited permits to some nurseries to grow the plant for horticulture trading. It has to abide by the rules and regulations of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to ensure that the endangered species is not commercially exploited to promote the business interest of certain sections of people. 

American Ginseng – an endangered specie

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is also listed in CITES. The plant is under depletion threat due to its high volume of international trades. Currently, there are very few species of the plant left making it to the category of the endangered plant species. The authorities have made it illegal to trade such endangered plant species across 33 US states and 2 Canadian provinces. The corresponding states and the national forests of the countries have introduced a permit system to harvest American ginseng. Permit attempts to protect the endangered plant from the threat of extinction. For instance, in the Wayne National Forest in Ohio, the harvesters apply for permits to grow such plants during the harvesting season. The harvesters are required to follow the various rules and regulations of the authorities to promote sustainable harvesting of endangered plant species. 

The permits are an essential measure to protect the endangered plant species from further commercial exploitations. The authorities are trying their best in terms of awareness and regulations through permits. It is to protect the endangered plant species like the Green pitcher plant and the American ginseng from depletion from the earth’s surface.