Board gears up to save medicinal plants in Lahaul

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, June 26

The Himachal Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (HPSBB) has geared up to conserve medicinal plants in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti, which were on the verge of extinction because of extrication by local residents for commercial use.

The HPSBB in coordination with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai, is implementing a project, sponsored by UNEP/GEF MoEFCC on strengthening the implementation of Biological Diversity Act, 2002, with focus on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) provisions under the Act.

Talking to The Tribune, Kunal Satyarthi, Joint Member Secretary, State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, said regarding activities of the HP State Biodiversity Board and UNEP/GEF MoEFCC ABS project, documentation of traditional knowledge (TK) associated with the biological resources was one of the main targets under component-2 of the project.

He said considering all the unique features of the state biodiversity its conservation needed utmost and immediate concern of all the stakeholders who were deriving benefits either directly or indirectly from it.

“The rich and extraordinary terrain, culture and heritage and numerous valuable bio-resources found in the region makes it an exceptional district of the state. Traditional knowledge associated with these bio-resources has been gathered tribal communities of Lahaul and Spiti through the years and the authority will lay emphasis on it,” he remarked.

“The main concern is regarding depletion of our traditional knowledge and practices related to bio-resources, so there is a need to protect the Indigenous Traditional Knowledge for which HP State Biodiversity Board has planned to organise an interactive workshop on traditional knowledge associated with the biological resources at Kaza, Spiti on June 24 with the aim to improve the livelihoods of TK holders and communities, as TK is a valuable asset to indigenous and local communities who depend on TK for their livelihood, as well as to manage and exploit their local ecosystem in sustainable manner,” he added.