Abstract Wild-harvested plants face increasing demand globally. As in many fisheries, monitoring the effect of harvesting on the size and trajectory of resource stocks presents many challenges given often limited data from disparate sources. Here we analyze American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) harvests from 18 states in the eastern U.S. 1978–2014 to infer temporal patterns and evidence of population declines, and we test the effects of local environmental and socioeconomic factors on ginseng harvesting at the county level 2000–2014. Despite rising prices, annual wild ginseng harvests decreased from a high point in the late 1980s to early 1990s, then, in most, increased after 2005 or 2010 - suggesting range-wide overexploitation notwithstanding federal regulations that, since 1999, restrict minimum harvest age. County-level harvest rates increased with available habitat, road density, poverty and unemployment, but decreased when public land formed a large proportion of county area. Harvests were largest in the Southern Appalachian region. Poverty and accessibility were strongly related to high levels of harvesting. A key implication is that to conserve valuable wild native plant products while also improving local livelihoods, wild cultivation and good stewardship practices must be strongly promoted. Our approach to assessing the condition of wild populations offers a broad template that could be adapted to other wild-harvested plants.

中文翻译：

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解释野生草本植物的收获：以西洋参为例

摘要 野生收获的植物在全球范围内面临日益增长的需求。与许多渔业一样，鉴于来自不同来源的数据通常有限，监测捕捞对资源种群规模和轨迹的影响存在许多挑战。在这里，我们分析了 1978-2014 年美国东部 18 个州的西洋参（Panax quinquefolius L.）收获，以推断人口下降的时间模式和证据，并测试当地环境和社会经济因素对县级人参收获的影响2000-2014 年。尽管价格上涨，但野生人参的年产量从 1980 年代末到 1990 年代初的高点下降，然后在 2005 年或 2010 年之后大部分增加——这表明尽管联邦法规自 1999 年以来限制了最低收获年龄，但仍存在范围广泛的过度开发。县级收获率随着可用栖息地、道路密度、贫困和失业而增加，但当公共土地占县区面积较大时，收获率下降。南阿巴拉契亚地区的收成最大。贫困和可及性与高水平的收获密切相关。一个关键的含义是，为了保护宝贵的野生本土植物产品，同时改善当地生计，必须大力推广野生种植和良好的管理实践。我们评估野生种群状况的方法提供了一个广泛的模板，可以适用于其他野生收获的植物。贫困和可及性与高水平的收获密切相关。一个关键的含义是，为了保护宝贵的野生本土植物产品，同时改善当地生计，必须大力推广野生种植和良好的管理实践。我们评估野生种群状况的方法提供了一个广泛的模板，可以适用于其他野生收获的植物。贫困和可及性与高水平的收获密切相关。一个关键的含义是，为了保护宝贵的野生本土植物产品，同时改善当地生计，必须大力推广野生种植和良好的管理实践。我们评估野生种群状况的方法提供了一个广泛的模板，可以适用于其他野生收获的植物。