Medicinal and aromatic plant species in Kashmir on verge of extinction

From May to August every year, Abdul Rahim, a resident of Tangmarg in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), walks for hours to reach Afarwat on the upper reaches of picturesque Gulmarg. The hilly terrains are dotted with Tripater plants – also known as Trillium. Rahim, who goes there to extract the plants, takes 20 minutes. The plant is then sold to smugglers who sell it to international markets.

Rahim manages to get Rs 2,500 for each kilogram of Trillium.With his son, he extracts almost half a kilogramme every day for four months.The Himalayas are among the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world and home tomore than 60 per cent of the world’s flora and fauna. He, along with scores ofpeople, extract medicinal plants without knowing their importance. For manylike Rahim, extracting illegal medicinal plants has emerged as a major sourceof income.

   

Kashmir is a rich repository of medicinal plants, which areused in aromatherapy, cosmetics and medical treatments. There are 571 differentkinds of medicinal plants available in the state, out of which some arehigh-end plants having high commercial value. The demand of these plants fromEuropean countries, China, Japan and other nations has turned Kashmir into ahotspot for smugglers.

Several medicinal and aromatic plant species are on theverge of extinction in the state. Trillium, which was earlier a lesser-knownmedicinal plant in trade, has gained popularity in commercial utilisation thesedays. It is one of the most sought after medicinal species in the westernHimalayan region.

The underground part of the plant, rhizome, is a keymaterial used in the preparation of steroids.

In Tangmarg, which is situated in Baramulla district, it isnot only the men but also women who walk miles through mountainous terrain toextract the plants.

A woman in her late thirties, on the condition of anonymity,said she earns Rs 400 to 600 on a daily basis. She extracts plants atKhilanmarg in the upper reaches of Gulmarg, but fears being caught by theforest guards. “We only sell when we know the smugglers, otherwise thereare chances we may get caught,” she said.

The smugglers send local men and women to the forest forextraction. The forest guards deployed allow the locals to go in forests togather various things like forest wood and dried leaves.

A resident of Tangmarg, who didn’t wish to be named, sharedhow medicinal plants reach international markets, “Around 10 years ago,the smugglers, with the help of locals, started extracting Trillium inUttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. After the plant started vanishing there, theyshifted their focus to Kashmir four years ago.”

He said that several medicinal plants are on the verge ofextinction in the Valley.

“The locals get Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per kilogram ofTrillium, which is then supplied to Chandigarh, Nepal, China and also Europeancountries. It has a value of Rs 70,000 per kilogram there,” he said,adding that few foreigners, who come as tourists, carry medicinal plants intheir bags.

These medicinal plants are being exported in trucks ladenwith fruits to Chandigarh from where it is being supplied to various parts, headded.

Artemisia (Wormwood), which is locally known as Tethwan, isanother medicinal plant which has a huge international value. These are foundin Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Gananpeer and several parts of Budgam and Kupwara inKashmir and is widely smuggled. Tethwan is an important part of Unani andAyurvedic systems of medicine.

Other medicinal plants smuggled from Kashmir include Kutki,the dried rhizome with the root of Picrorhizakurrooa. It is widely used inAyurvedic medicine.

Earlier in 2005, the J&K government had imposed a ban onthe extraction of medicinal plants, fearing extinction of some species.However, in 2013, the J&K government lifted the ban on the extraction ofseveral medicinal plants and other minor forest produce from the forest areasof the state. However, the smugglers have also been extracting the bannedmedicinal plants.

Professor IrshadNawchoo of the Kashmir University, who hasdone extensive research on medicinal plants, stressed the preservation ofmedicinal plants. There are several medicinal plants which are at the verge ofextinction due to smuggling or unplanned constructions, he said.

Akhtar H. Malik, a researcher at the Kashmir University,said the forest department in collaboration with the state medical board wouldbe creating nurseries of medicinal plants so that the “natural habitat ispreserved”.

The government would also provide training to forestdwellers to create nurseries, he said while adding that the government needs toinvolve the locals so that the natural habitat is not disturbed and smugglingis stopped.

O.P. Sharma, Director of the State Forest ResearchInstitute, said while the number of medicinal plants is decreasing in J&K,smuggling is not the main reason behind it. He stated that the construction ofroads, pollution, and stress on habitat are the reasons behind the decline.

K. Vijay Kumar, Forest and Ecology & Environment Advisorto the Governor, said the government was taking several measures for thepreservation of medicinal plants. He informed that the government is going toframe a state medicinal plant policy to make medicinal plants sustainable.

Steps for the regeneration of rare plant species have also beentaken, he said while adding that additional steps are being taken to stop thesmuggling of forest produce.

Recently at a workshop in Srinagar, K. Skandan, Agricultureand Horticulture Advisor to Governor, said the dearth of knowledge on theidentity and agro-technology of the plants was adding hurdles in medicinalplant cultivation. He emphasised on the need to make the knowledge available toeveryone.  (101Reporters/IANS)

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