Treasure and tragedy of the Kashmir Himalaya

Abstract

Biological interventions and sequential eco-edaphic changes have depleted the habitats of essential and commercially valuable medicinal plants, hence paved the way to invasive alien species, thereby infuriating the bio-resource diminution and deprivation. The present communication is an attempt to draw attention to the importance of some threatened medicinal plants of Kashmir Himalaya and the various threats they are forced upon. In total 12 species belonging to 11 families have been surveyed, assessed and analyzed for their importance and threat status. The study revealed that the already restricted populations of these threatened species are squeezed further by various natural and anthropogenic factors, above and beyond being subjected to over-exploitation. All these causative factors if not addressed without more ado, the day is not far away when this precious legacy will be lost for ever. It is indeed a grave situation for these species which calls for the recoup whatever is left. There is a buzz for the execution of global slogan and it is the need of hour to conserve these gems in today's world of bioprospecting. © 2006 Asian Network for Scientific Information.