Classifying medicinal plant collectors: Their approach and attitude

Abstract

Medicinal plant collection from the Himalayas is a key conservation issue that involves extraction of plants from the wild by collectors. While the word collectors is generalized, not all collectors are the same. In this paper, three types of collectors namely, professional, opportunist, and user have been identified. They have been compared with respect to how they perceive medicinal plants and what their approach is. Of the three categories, only the users consume the plants at source, while the other two are involved in trade. This is clearly reflected in the difference in their value chain. It has also been realized that while professionals and opportunists are buyer-driven, the user is producer- driven. Subtle differences between the three with respect to twelve parameters have been presented in the paper. Thus, a conservation and management policy that not only focuses on plants but also, diversity of people, is the need of the hour.