Shivalik hills denuded of precious medicinal plants

New Delhi, June 7 (UNI) A large number of medicinal plant species are on the verge of extinction in the Shivalik Hills in Haryana due to over exploitation for commercial purposes and also because of clearing of vegetation for developmental projects.

The growing demand for herbal products in the recent past has led to a quantum jump in the volumes of medicinal plants traded within the country.

Estimates of trade are to the order of Rs 5.5 billion per annum while the world trade is over 60 billion US dollars and is rapidly growing.

To meet the demand there has been destructive and unscientific extraction by traders, which has been combined with ignorance among the collectors about the natural regeneration requirements for sustained productivity of these species, says a report released by the Forest Department on the World Environment Day this week.

Large scale introduction of exotic trees like Eucalyptus and poplar in the region may also have resulted into the change in natural vegetation due to synecological interactions.

The medicinal plants resources of the region have deminished also due to laying of roads and other developmental works in the area.

This has led to loss of forest cover and biodiversity.

The report says that eight medicinal plants have been recorded in the the red (threatened)list of the Botanical Survey of India.

These herbs are vacha(acorsu calamus), bel(aegle marmelos), mal kanghni(celastrus paniculatus), kalihari(gloriosa superba), sona patha(oroxylum indicum), vidir qand(pueraria tuberosa) and symplocos racemosa.

It said the state government was now taking a number of steps to restore the biodiversity of the region.

The state forest department has started the 'Vanaspati Van' project for the panchkula district under which medicinal plants have been introduced.

The project aims at restocking of approximately 5,000 hectares of forest at an estimated cost of Rs five crore.

The Union Ministry of health and Family Wefare has constituted a national Medicinal Board to coordinate all metters relating to development and sustainable use of medicinal plants. On the same pattern Haryana has also constituted a State Medicinal Plant Board.

It plans to introduce 58 varieties of herbs in the Shivalik hills.

UNI