Sustainable management of Medicinal Plants (Himalayan India)
The amchi medical system is undergoing a period of considerable transition and is under pressure from various directions. One important factor contributing to this pressure concerns medicinal plants (MPs), which are vital components of the drugs used by amchis in treatment of disease. Many of the region’s rare and valuable MPs are under threat for a variety of reasons, including increased commercial harvesting, overgrazing by livestock, ineffective management and unsustainable collection practices, particularly of plants of which the roots or rhizomes are used in drug production.
LSTM’s medicinal plants programme (ongoing, from 2004) aims to develop integrated conservation and healthcare initiatives which will improve access to essential medicinal plants for local healers and assist the concerned communities to take a more active stand in the management of collection sites. It is a multi-phase programme, which works towards ensuring sustainable access to medicinal plants for amchis in the long term.
This project was selected in 2009 as an example for meeting the Target 13 (practices and innovations in healthcare) of the Convention for Biological Diversity. Download the entire report
Listen to the project presentation by Tsewang Gonbo (LSTM) at the 6th International Congress on Traditional Asian Medicine (ICTAM), Thimphu, Bhutan, Sept. 2009 (23 min.).
The activities conducted in Phase I of the programme (2004-2008) are as follows:
- A series of training workshops attended by the staff of LSTM and key project partners, focused on improving their knowledge and practical skills concerning all aspects of MPs conservation and development.
- An awareness campaign, conducted in twenty villages across Ladakh. Through discussions, lectures, participatory research and video projections, awareness is raised of the important connections between the plants and local medical practices. People are sensitised to the potential threats facing both the plants and the amchis and courses of action are introduced and discussed.
- The collection of detailed ethno-botanical data (local and botanical names, species distribution, abundance, uses etc) in each village visited and the compilation of the data into a comprehensive database.
- The constitution of an herbarium, for identification and training purposes
- A seminar / workshop held in Leh, which brought together all the key stakeholders and project partners, to raise awareness, promote discussion and start working on a coordinated action plan for MPs in the region
- A regional seminar held in Padum, gathering amchis from all across Zangskar to discuss medicinal plant issues, consider potential threats and draw up a resolution for future action.
- The formation and training of a Medicinal Plants Conservation Committee in one village, to facilitate community control of MPs harvesting and to serve as a model for future committee formation in other areas
- The production of educational materials (a poster and a newsletter) relating to MPs and their widespread distribution
Phase II of the programme (2008-2012) continues to build capacity amongst the stakeholders, raise awareness amongst the general public and collect ethno-botanical data, but also moves on to implement more concrete actions. In certain medicinal plant ‘hotspot’ areas, amchis and villagers will be trained in appropriate in situ conservation methods, such as rotational harvesting and enrichment planting.
In areas experiencing severe pressure and depletion, management initiatives may be required, either within existing village management systems or through the formation of special committees. Demonstration medicinal plant gardens and small nurseries will be established, enabling amchis to cultivate a range of important plants and to share knowledge and planting materials.
Internal project reports
Final Report, April 2007
Interim Project Report for period March 2006 to September 2006
Interim Project Report for period September 2005 to February 2006.
Report on Medicinal Plants Conservation Campaign, Kanji Village, from 30 September to 2 October 2006
External project report
"Training in Medicinal Plant Conservation and Cultivation", Medplant Network News 5(3), July-Oct. 2005 (by G.S. Goraya)