Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Threat assessment of high-value medicinal plants of high-altitude region of West Himalaya, India
*Article not assigned to an issue yet
Bhojak Puja, Sekar K. Chandra, Thapliyal Neha, Pandey Aseesh
Research Articles | Published: 08 April, 2025
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Keywords: High-altitude region, Threatened, Medicinal plants, Conservation, West Himalaya
Abstract
High-altitude regions are well known for their unique habitat supporting a variety of medicinal plants. Inhabitants of these remote regions mainly practice medicinal plant based traditional health care systems for curing a variety of ailments. In recent years, unplanned developmental activities resulting from natural habitat loss, increasing extraction pressure in natural populations, coupled with changing climate have emerged as major threats to medicinal plants. In this study, attempts have been made to identify and assess the ecological and threat status of high-valued medicinal plants across high-altitude valleys of West Himalaya, India. For ecological assessment, field surveys were conducted along the altitudinal gradient in each valley. The rapid threat assessment (RTA) of high-value medicinal plants was done using eleven evaluation criteria and a total of 63 medicinal plant species were identified under threat. The study provides baseline information on the ecological and threat status of high-value medicinal plants of the high-altitude region, which can be utilized to develop conservation and management strategies for the region emphasizing on prioritized threatened plants before they enter a critical threatened category.
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Author Information
Garhwal Regional Centre, G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Srinagar Garhwal, India