Dehradun: In a move aimed at conserving various medicinal and aromatic plants that are indigenous to the Himalayas, the forest department has decided to dedicate 10% of its plantation solely to 34 identified plant species that have been classified as ‘rare, endangered and threatened.’ These include herbs such as shankh pushpi (convolvulus alsinoides), jatamaasi (nardostachys jatamansi), prishthaparni (uraria picta), sarpgandha (rauwolfia serpentina) and giloy (tinospora cordifolia) among others. A decision regarding this was taken by the forest department a few days ago. An official told TOI that these species will now be planted in all the 24 territorial forest divisions across the 13 districts of the state.According to sources, this is the first time that such an initiative has been taken. “The forest department will plant these species on a yearly basis and separate funds would be allotted to ensure the sustainability of the project,” an official said. The project will be executed under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Forest Research Advisory Committee (UFRAC).Providing further details, Jai Raj, head of forest force (HoFF), Uttarakhand, said, “The decision has been taken in the wake of rising impact of climate change, over-exploitation of some species of plants and rampant use of aromatic and medicinal plants in treatments and therapies world-wide. We spoke with people in the hills who have vast knowledge of these rare plant species. They have a deep connection with these herbs and we shall use the expertise of these communities in order to conserve our rich biodiversity."Reacting to apprehensions being expressed by some that the move might backfire if the herbs were planted in climates not conducive to their growth, Sanjiv Chaturvedi, conservator of forests (research), told TOI, “We understand that change in environment and habitat might affect the growth of these RET species but we will take care to plant them in a proper manner.” He added that “biodiversity conservation is urgently required and once this project is implemented, we are hopeful that we will enhance our knowledge further on rare plant species through interactions with local communities.”

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