As early as the Republic of China, Nostoc flagelliforme was sought after by people in coastal areas and even exported overseas, becoming an important foreign exchange earning product in some countries. However, most of the places where Nostoc flagelliforme grows are arid and semi-arid areas, and the ecological environment is inherently fragile. Nostoc flagelliforme has the function of sand fixation. Nostoc flagelliforme could have protected the local environment. Because it is located in an underdeveloped area with poor living standards of most people in the northwest, Nostoc flagelliforme has been dug up and become a tool to improve local economic conditions.
In the early 1980s, due to the wanton excavation of Nostoc flagelliforme, grassland vegetation in northwest China was destroyed in a large area, which was even worse for northwest China, where the ecological environment was very fragile. There are more and more natural disasters such as sandstorms, which have a great impact on the ecological environment in northwest China and even the whole country. In view of this, the state listed Nostoc flagelliforme as a second-class protected plant in the List of National Key Protected Wild Plants in China issued by 1999. 200 1 is listed as a first-class protected plant, and it is strictly forbidden to collect, purchase, sell and export Nostoc flagelliforme.
Nostoc flagelliforme sold well in China, exported to overseas, became an important foreign exchange earning product, and was listed as a first-class protected plant. It can be seen that China people still have superstitious ideas about some things. It is unrealistic to rely on Nostoc flagelliforme, a fried plant, to get rid of the low living standard. If we really want to get rid of poverty, we should adapt to local conditions and develop an economic model that suits us, instead of getting the economy at the expense of destroying the environment.