An endangered species is a population of organisms/ plants which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. WHO has listed over 21,000 plant species used for medicinal purposes across the world. India, having an array of topographic and climatic variations, harbour flora of greater diversity and an estimated 1,20,000 plant species, out of 4,00,000 known species of this planet inhabit Indian sub-continent. The primary factors contributing to extinction are habitat loss, introduced species, over exploitation and population. Deforestation processes practiced for agriculture or for construction of dams or for residential purposes cause soil erosion, which leads to leeching of some valuable nutrients needed for growth of medicinal plants and cause vanishing of important flora and fauna from the ecosystems which is an irreversible damage to the nature. Over harvesting and over exploitation is another factor, which has greatly threatened the existence of medicinal plants. Today, species become endangered primarily because of human activities. Their lists include about 34,000 species of plants that are threatened or endangered. Conservation of the threatened medicinal taxa is clearly one of the properties towards which available technologies must be directed, cultivation is one way to prevent the genetic erosion of medicinal plants in India.
Loading....