Ministry mulls criteria to identify intangible natural heritage

Kochi, Mar 14 (UNI) Stressing the importance of preserving biodiversity, Advisor to Union Ministry of Environment and Forests G V Subramaniam today said the Ministry was chalking out guidelines and criteria to identify the intangible natural heritage in the country.

Inaugurating a three-day workshop on 'Hortus Malabaricus' (HM) here, Dr Subramaniam said '' it is imperative to preserve the intangible natural resources like medicinal plants as they are invaluable and prone to extinction.'' HM, a unique book that documented the traditional knowldege (intangible) of medicinal plants of Malabar in Kerala, had thrown open a slew of opportunities in the field of taxonomy, Dr Subramaniam, who is also the Director of National Museum of Natural History, said.

He said more coordination and research were needed to disseminate the information in HM to authorities concerned.

The workshop, organised by Mysore-based Regional Museum of Natural History, would be a platform for all stakeholders working on HM to share ideas, collect materials and resource materials, he added.

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