Villagers from Fakhim with officials and others during the awareness programme on the theme ‘in-situ conservation of local medicinal plants’ organized on April 15. The workshop was also held at Thanamir Village on April 21.
Fakim and Thanamir villagers attend awareness programme
Kiphire, April 23 (MExN): The Kiphire Forest Division organised an awareness programme on the theme ‘in-situ conservation of local medicinal plants’ was organized in Fakim on April 15 and Thanamir village on April 21. It was sponsored by the Department of National Medicinal Plant Board, Government of India.
Need to conserve
and propagate
The resource person, Lanusunep Ao, Consultant State Medicinal Plant Board, Nagaland highlighted the importance of different medicinal plants and called for conservation of the rare and endangered medicinal plants like Aconitum, Panax Psudoginsing, Paris polyphylla and taxus and others which have huge demands in the pharmaceutical industry.
He stressed on the need to conserve and propagate these medicinal plants in the selected locations having ideal climatic conditions for its survival and propagation in their natural habitat. He also urged the locals to documents the knowledge of medicinal plants passed on by our forefathers lest this precious traditional knowledge becomes extinct completely.
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Villagers from Thanamir with officials and others during the awareness programme on the theme in-situ conservation of local medicinal plants organized on April 21.[/caption]
200 ha of land
for MPCDA
Addressing the campaign, Rajesh Kumar, IFS, DFO, Kiphire in his keynote address briefed about the need for the in-situ conservation of the local medicinal plant resources in the area. He elaborated the comparative advantage of the area in the field of medicinal plants, their conservation, development and sustainable utilization which would benefit the locals to improve their standards of living.
He shared the details regarding the creation of “Medicinal Plant Conservation and Development Area (MPCDA)” in the area already approved by the National Medicinal Plant Board, New Delhi. He sought the co-operation of the village council in demarcating the 200 ha of land for same purpose.
The staffs of Kiphire Forest division with the help of Dr. Lanusunep are currently surveying the forests of these two areas to in order to demarcate the 200 ha of land for the creation of MPCDAs in these two villages.
It was stated in a press release that the programme was attended by more than 100 villagers both in Fakim and Thanamir villages. A significant number of women belonging to these two villages also attended the awareness programme.
The chairman of the programme Khumliba T Sangtam, Forester, Kiphire Forest Division in his welcome address elaborated the Almighty blessings in terms of medicinal plants richness found naturally in these areas and sought for the active cooperation of the Villagers in conservation of the same. The villagers also shared their experiences of usage of local medicinal plants and their effectiveness in healing the common ailments.
The vote of thanks was given by Khulimong Yimchunger, Forest Guard Kiphire Forest Division.
