today’s challenges

entanglement in global economic strains

Integration into global markets (with a volume of billions of dollar) of multinational enterprises.
Object of (international) private patents.
International industrial marketing.
Growing demands due to population growth and increasing consumption quantities.
Shift of roles – concerning Asian countries often towards the role of exporting raw materials and importing ready products.
Decline of earlier local professions and possibilities of livelihood.

Overexploitation and overconsumption of natural resources.
Endangerment and loss of biological resources with their unique aromatic notes and character, resulting in a decline of biodiversity.
Mass cultivation, often including the use of pesticides and fertilizers and followed by their effects on local ecosystems and human health.
Distribution of synthetic substitutes in nature, followed by their specific effects on ecological systems and human health.

Change of consumption habits (towards mass-consumption and preference of fashionable international products).
Loss of traditional skills of recognizing, growing, refining and appreciating aromatics.
Loss of (phyto-) therapeutic resources, knowledge and skills.
Loss of earlier olfactory knowledge.
Neglect of effective methods of preventive und curative healthcare, in favor of (often costly) synthetic remedies.
General detachment from nature, followed by the so-called ‘nature deficit disorder’ with its typical mental and physical health symptoms.

Links for taking up further research on this topic