Conservation of Biodiversity | Medical Plants

Introduction

Biodiversity describes the whole range of the different varieties of living things and systems on this earth. Biodiversity can be found everywhere – it includes animal species, plant species, genes, ecosystems and landscapes.

Conservation means saving/ protection

Conservation of biodiversity means management of human use of biospheres that it may yield greater long term (sustainable) benefits for the present generation and also maintaing it’s potential to meet needs and aspiration of future gernation.

Need of Biodiversity Conservation :-

• All organisms are inter dependent on others for survival, the removal of one species may have a significant effect on others.
  • for example if one member of food chain extinct due to habitat loss then it will lead to extinction of other members of food chain too.
• Higher biodiversity has also been linked to lower instance of diseases. Also,
  • Both medicinal plants and manufactured pharmaceuticals rely on biodiversity.

Strategies of Conservation:-

• The threatened species should be protected by in- situ or ex- situ.
• critical habitats should be safe guarded
• unique ecosystems should be protected.
• Planning & management of the land & water use.
• Utilization should not exceed the productive capacities.

Above strategies can be classified under following sub headings :-

• Narrowing utilization
• Broadly Utilarion
• Ethical provisions

Narrowing Utilization :-

Acc to this, conservation is obvious since human directly derives several economic benefits from nature like food, wood, industrial and medical products etc. This includes minimising the use so that it gives time for environment to recover, and sustain for further gernations.

Broadly Utilarion :-

In Situ Conservation :-

the endangered species are protected in the natural habitat with protection of entire habitat.

The endemic species are those cones which are not found anywhere else. Hotspots are the regions of accurately habitat loss.

• Around the world 33 areas are hotspots and 2.3% the world surface area, where 43% of endangered species are found.
• Current hotspots in India
  • western Ghat
  • Himalaya
  • Indo Burma

Ex-situ Conservation :-

In such type of conseration threatened plant or animal species are taken out of their natural habitat and are protected in special parks or areas like Botanical garden. It also include following :-

• crypo preservation of gamete of threatened species in viable a fertile sperm.
• Preservation of seeds through seed Banks.

Good agricultural practice (GAP) :-

GAP is a certification system for agriculture, specifying procedures that must be implemented to create food for consumers or further processing that is safe and wholesome, using sustainable methods.

Ethical provisions :-

• The Constitution under Part IVA (Art 51A-Fundamental Duties) casts a duty on every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures. 
  • The Constitution of India under Part IV (Art 48A-Directive Principles of State Policies) stipulates that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
• The Environment Protection Act, 1986
• The Hazardous Waste Management Regulations

Ayurvedic expect :-

In Ayurveda importance of conservation of Biodiversity was told under heading of “similarities between Lok and Purusha“. Acharya’s told the similarities with a vision that if we know that we and our environment is same, made up of same components, their importance we will try and protect our environment for our survival.

यावन्तो हि लोके मूर्तिमन्तो भावविशेषाः तावन्तः पुरुषे, यावन्तः पुरुषे तावन्तो लोके। पुरुषोऽयं लोकसम्मितः।।

लोक और पुरुष (Purush and lok) की इस समता सम्बन्धी ज्ञान से दोनों में अन्तर करने वाली विभेदक बुद्धि नष्ट हो जाती है और मनुष्य में सत्य बुद्धि उदय होती है, जिससे संसार के समस्त प्राणिमात्र में अपनत्व उत्पन्न होता है।

To read detailed version of similarities between Lok and Purusha click here.

Loss of biodiversity and need to conserve medical plants is started from pre industrial age/ Mugal era, as writter of that time Bhavparkasha, as he stats that ” Now Astvargha is even rare for king’s so one should use of alternatives”. Medical plants having many properties, their loss is like loss of thousand lifes, that could had been saved by their use.

To read in detail about abhav pratinidhi dravya click here.