330
L. Kapoor and S. Usha
study observed that the landscape configuration in Bangalore city was either single large or several small in terms of size. Moreover, high density neighbourhood
parks without the support of a large green space and low-density neighbourhood
parks along with the influence of large green spaces could promote rich diversity
of butterflies and birds. Further, several small green patches could represent a single large space, which are currently dwindling in current times due to development
and industrialization. Projects like “Citizen Science” and “Backyard Wildlife” have
begun to emerge in India and are working towards creating green neighbourhoods
with effective community participation and promoting biodiversity conservation.
6.2 Case Study 2: Conservation of Medicinal Plants (Negi
et al. 2018)
The medicinal and aromatic plants have been explored from time immemorial for
their healing properties along with minimal side effects as compared to other chemical drugs. The Indian Himalayan Region is one the major sites where these plants
are found in abundance and lure the health care sector with the increasing inclination
towards use of natural biomolecules. The MAPs also play a vital role in boosting
India’s economy as evidence indicates most of the medicinal plants being used globally for health care are obtained from developing countries and the global market
has observed a growth rate of 6.6% from 2015 to 2020. The decline in the diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants along with their traditional knowledge would
grossly effect the human well-being and livelihood in the near future. Therefore,
conservation of these plants in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot region is given
utmost importance and priority as this region comprises of 8000 species of vascular
plants and 1720 medicinal and aromatic plant species. Despite government policies
towards protection of MAPs their numbers are declining and requires immediate
attention. The present study highlights the role of four vital parameters: economic,
governance, environmental and socio-cultural, with emphasis on 11 criteria along
with 48 indicators for assessment of the sustainability of medicinal and aromatic
plants. It was observed that the registration of farmers for cultivated fields of MAPs,
awareness regarding high demand of medicinal plants and prioritised MAPs among
cultivators and farmers, simplified cultivation and marketing scenarios, safeguarding
traditional knowledge on MAPs and protection of MPCAs (Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas) could prove to be effective as policy inputs. The study identified
152 medicinal plant species (herbs, trees and shrubs) in western Himalayas of which
43 were given priority for conservation in Western Himalayas as they fall under the
category of Globally Significant Medicinal Plants (GSMPs) and could be collected
from cultivated fields of registered farmers and not from the wild. Most medicinal
plants in the Indian Himalayan region were found in Meghalaya (850) followed
by Uttarakhand (701) and Himachal Pradesh (643). Moreover, of the known medicinal plants in the region 62 species were endemic along with 208 species with near
L. Kapoor and S. Usha
study observed that the landscape configuration in Bangalore city was either single large or several small in terms of size. Moreover, high density neighbourhood
parks without the support of a large green space and low-density neighbourhood
parks along with the influence of large green spaces could promote rich diversity
of butterflies and birds. Further, several small green patches could represent a single large space, which are currently dwindling in current times due to development
and industrialization. Projects like “Citizen Science” and “Backyard Wildlife” have
begun to emerge in India and are working towards creating green neighbourhoods
with effective community participation and promoting biodiversity conservation.
6.2 Case Study 2: Conservation of Medicinal Plants (Negi
et al. 2018)
The medicinal and aromatic plants have been explored from time immemorial for
their healing properties along with minimal side effects as compared to other chemical drugs. The Indian Himalayan Region is one the major sites where these plants
are found in abundance and lure the health care sector with the increasing inclination
towards use of natural biomolecules. The MAPs also play a vital role in boosting
India’s economy as evidence indicates most of the medicinal plants being used globally for health care are obtained from developing countries and the global market
has observed a growth rate of 6.6% from 2015 to 2020. The decline in the diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants along with their traditional knowledge would
grossly effect the human well-being and livelihood in the near future. Therefore,
conservation of these plants in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot region is given
utmost importance and priority as this region comprises of 8000 species of vascular
plants and 1720 medicinal and aromatic plant species. Despite government policies
towards protection of MAPs their numbers are declining and requires immediate
attention. The present study highlights the role of four vital parameters: economic,
governance, environmental and socio-cultural, with emphasis on 11 criteria along
with 48 indicators for assessment of the sustainability of medicinal and aromatic
plants. It was observed that the registration of farmers for cultivated fields of MAPs,
awareness regarding high demand of medicinal plants and prioritised MAPs among
cultivators and farmers, simplified cultivation and marketing scenarios, safeguarding
traditional knowledge on MAPs and protection of MPCAs (Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas) could prove to be effective as policy inputs. The study identified
152 medicinal plant species (herbs, trees and shrubs) in western Himalayas of which
43 were given priority for conservation in Western Himalayas as they fall under the
category of Globally Significant Medicinal Plants (GSMPs) and could be collected
from cultivated fields of registered farmers and not from the wild. Most medicinal
plants in the Indian Himalayan region were found in Meghalaya (850) followed
by Uttarakhand (701) and Himachal Pradesh (643). Moreover, of the known medicinal plants in the region 62 species were endemic along with 208 species with near