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IMPACT OF CULTIVATION AND GATHERING OF MEDICINAL PLANTS ON BIODIVERSITY: CASE STUDIES FROM INDIA

Year of publication 2002

Author Forest Products Division

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Biodiversity encompasses all biological entities occurring as an interacting system in a habitat or ecosystem and plants constitute a very important segment of such biological systems. Biodiversity of plants collectively known as 'plant genetic resources' is a key component of any agricultural production system - indeed, of any ecosystem, without which, natural evolutionary adjustment of the system to the changing environmental and biotic conditions would be impossible. Plant biodiversity is an irreplaceable resource, providing raw materials for introduction, domestication as well as improvement programmes in agriculture and forestry. Conservation and use of genetic diversity for sustainable ecosystem or agro ecosystem should be continuous to meet food, clothing, shelter and health requirements of India's growing population.

Language English

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    Since time immemorial, people have gathered plant and animal resources for their needs. Examples include edible nuts, mushrooms, fruits, herbs, spices, gums, game, fodder, fibres used for construction of shelter and housing, clothing or utensils, and plant or animal products for medicinal, cosmetic or cultural uses. Even today, hundreds of millions of people, mostly in developing countries, derive a significant part of their subsistence needs and income from gathered plant and animal products (I qbal 1993; Walter 2001). Gathering of high value products such as mushrooms (morels, matsutake, truffles), medicinal plants (ginseng, black cohosh, goldenseal) also continues in developed countries for cultural and economic reasons (Joneset al.2002). Among these uses, medicinal plants play a central role, not only as traditional medicines used in many cultures, but also als trade commodities which meet the demand of often distant markets. For the purpose of this paper the term "medicinal an d aromatic plant" (MAP) is defined to cover the whole range of plants used not only medicinallysensu strictubut also in the neighbouring and often overlapping fields of condiments, food and cosmetics. Demand for a wide variety of wild species is increasing with growth in human needs, numbers and commercial trade. With the increased realization that some wild species are being over-exploited, a number of agencies are recommending that wild species be brought into cultivation systems (BAH 200 2; Lambertet al.1997; WHO, IUCN and WWF 1993). Cultivation can also have conservation impacts, however, and these need to be better understood. Medicinal plant production through cultivation, for example, can reduce the extent to which wild populations are harvested, but it also may lead to environmental degradation and loss of genetic diversity as well as loss of incentives to conserve wild populations (Anon. 2002b).
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