The Karnataka Biodiversity Board is investigating medicinal plant research
With an emphasis on tribal people gathering medicinal plants and supplying them to companies, the Karnataka Biodiversity Board (KBB) has started a research to learn all there is to know about these plants.
In addition, the Board has undertaken research on the Shola grasslands and a thorough examination of the wild variety fruits that are present in the Malnad area.
An official, explaining the research of medicinal plants to The New Indian Express, said that the pharmaceutical, health, and cosmetic industries are major consumers of aromatic and medicinal plants.
“There is virtually little procurement from the organized sector. A significant portion is derived from the unorganized sector. Tribal people and villagers who live in and near forested regions make up a large portion of individuals who harvest the therapeutic plants. The need for organic goods has grown due to shifting consumer preferences, endangering forest products in the process. It has also been observed that although intermediaries and agents benefit, tribe members engaged in extraction get very little in return.
The official said, “Many companies have received notices for illegal extraction from the medicinal plant board, the environment department, and the forest department over the years, but nothing is done to stop it.” It has also been observed that there is a growing demand, even for kitchen goods, for small forest products. It is necessary to access the source and channel.
“We are pinpointing the places where they are produced, collected from, and distributed to via the research. This industry is disorganized. Private businesses rely on intermediaries because they lack a source. According to Govardhan Singh, KBB’s Deputy Conservator of Forests, “the study will help people understand the actual benefits of the products and the need for their protection.”
The goal of the research is to finish it by 2025. An additional authority said that in some cases, native people are seen harvesting them as small-scale forest products and reselling them abroad as therapeutic herbs in exchange for a fee. The research will contribute to our understanding of medicinal plants, including their uses, growing areas in which they should be cultivated, prevention of abuse, and preservation.
In addition, research on the wild diversity of fruits would be beneficial. In this area, a variety of fruits are cultivated locally. They are progressively recognized to be entering the commercial sales market in addition to household usage. The official said, “The goal is to increase public awareness of them and their usage.
