..home to the most striking lichens, the brilliant blossoms of rhododendrons, magnolias, the red panda once not so elusive, the rich repository of plant life, the fragrant air.....the wondrous Eastern Himalayas in India.
1. The
National Biodiversity Authority, an Autonomous and Statutory Body of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, in its website has recognized the
importance of Tonglu covering an area of 230 hectares and Dhotrey
covering an area of 180 hectares, both located in the Darjeeling District in
West Bengal as *Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas*.
2. On 21 April 2015, the Darjeeling Times had reported -
Tonglu and Dhotrey Declared - National Biodiversity Heritage Sites
'Taking into consideration the immense bio-diversity and natural wealth of the region, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has declared Tonglu and Dhotrey as National Biodiversity Heritage Sites.
The declaration of this region as National Biodiversity Heritage Site will play an important role in conserving the unique and rare flora, fauna and insects that are currently poached and smuggled into China and other countries via Nepal.
Both these forest regions fall under Singhalila National Park, with Tonglu covering an area of 230 hectors, and Dhotrey covers 150 hectors.
Home to the elusive Red Panda and some of the most beautiful varieties of Rhododendrons, Singhalila National Park was recently declared one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World - by Yahoo.'
References:
1.National Biodiversity Authority
2.Photograph from blog by Amlan
3.DarjeelingTimes.com - Darjeeling News
'Why medicinal plants may fade out'
CHENNAI: Going by the threat of extinction of many medicinal plants in
the country are facing, traditional herbal formulations may soon become
history. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tirunelveli district is
home to 58 out of 122 endemic and threatened medicinal plant species
found in the Western Ghats and other parts of peninsular India, says a
book, 'Biodiversity Governance For Managing Endemic And Threatened
Medicinal Plants In India - A Geoinformatic Approach'. Brought out by
the National Biodiversity Authority, it aims to lay a roadmap for
conservation of medicinal plants.
Indiscriminate harvesting of
medicinal plants for commercial exploitation is wreaking havoc with the
forest ecosystem and many of them face the threat of extinction, says
the author, Manoj Kumar Sarkar, a senior Tamil Nadu cadre IFS officer.
India is next only to China in exporting medicinal plants and herbal
products. With more than 50,000 herbal formulations and an industrial
turnover of 4,200 crore per annum, the industry is projected to grow at
20-30% in the country. Still, India accounts for a meagre share of the
$62 billion global market because only 15% of its produce is cultivated.
"The balance 85% is exploited from the wild and there is no effort to
replenish this forest resource," he said.
Sarkar said, "Along with biodiversity and sustainable management of
natural resources of forests becoming a global concern in the 1980's and
90's, there was an upsurge in the production of plant-based medicines
and herbal products. It is estimated that more than 70% of people
worldwide rely chiefly on traditional, largely herbal, medicine to meet
their primary healthcare needs".
There is hardly any effort to
protect medicinal plants, shrubs, herbs, climbers and grasses which
constitute 66% of the flora. India is rich with floral diversity and is
estimated to have about 45,000 plant species. About one-sixth of them
have medicinal value. But almost 1,000 species of medicinal plants
suffer from various degrees of threat, including genetic loss forever.
Still there is no policy formulation for resource management in this
sector. Much of the effort is concentrated on promoting tree species of
commercial value like firewood, he lamented.
In the absence of
specific laws to protect medicinal plants indiscriminately harvested
from forests, it is not possible to book such offenders outside forest
boundary even if they are caught with the loot. Moreover, the country
lacks skill and expertise to identify such loot through biochemical
tests. "To conserve threatened medicinal plants, we need to create an
inventory of resources, assess species-specific threat status, bring in
effective regulations, have short-term and long-term planning and
involve all stakeholders in their implementation," said Sarkar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Why-many-medicinal-plants-may-fade-out/articleshow/36985716.cms
