Their names are an exercise in tongue-twisting. But these medicinal trees and plants save millions of lives. Take the case of Coscinium Fenestratum which is used in the cure of diabetes.
In 2011, 2,000 tonnes of its extract was used by the pharma industry to prepare a wide range of formulations. Unfortunately, this tree is only found in the states of Orissa, Karnataka and Goa, thus limiting its production.
Mr D.K. Vaidya, adviser with the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (RLHT) said, “The demand for its extracts has reached unsustainable levels and this tree, which takes 10 years to mature, is now close to extinction.”
Few more trees have been placed in the red-light category, including Saraca Asoca, Taxeus Wallchiana and Decilipis Hamiltoni. “In all, 315 medicinal plants are under threat of extinction due largely to habitat loss and degradation, Mr Vaidya warns.
The MoEF and UNDP have launched a flagship programme to save India’s vast biodiversity with special focus on 315 threatened medicinal plants.
As a first step, 108 Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas (MPCA) have been created across five states which include Karnataka, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
These 108 MPCAs will provide the gene pool for future generations. “These gene pools have to be conserved and kept alive through proper breeding. For the present we are not going to allow any commercial activity to take place in the MPCAS though buffer areas created outside these centres can be accessed by local communities for medicinal plants,” Mr Vaidya explained. A former forester himself, Mr Vaidya stressed the importance of involving the state forestry departments and local communities to ensure the success of this project.