Sanjay Kr. Uniyal

Commercial Extraction of Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth. in the Western Himalaya Patterns of Collection, Processing, and Conservation Threats

Abstract Indiscriminate extraction of Picrorhiza kurrooa is a serious threat to the population of this Himalayan medicinal plant. Over 90% of the market demand for this species is met from the wild. We conducted a study on the patterns and processes of kutki extraction in a part of the Dhauladhar range, Western Himalaya, in the state of Himachal Pradesh (India). Semistructured interviews and participant observations with the medicinal plant collectors (n  =  85) were used to assess current trends of medicinal plant extraction. It was revealed that the collectors camp at altitudes > 3500 m and collect medicinal plants over a period of 5 months. Individually they collect 5.2 ± 0.37 kg (fresh weight) of kutki/day. To get 1 kg dry weight of the plant, as many as 300–400 individual plants are uprooted. Further, the initial processing of the material is done in the wild; ca. 1 MT of fuelwood, comprising sensitive tree line species, is burnt to dry the same amount of collected material. This is a threat not only to the survival of the plant itself, but also to that of the sensitive tree line species. The study reveals that the extraction of kutki is unselective and unmanaged, which may be a threat for its regeneration and survival. We recommend spatiotemporal regulation of kutki extraction so as to ensure its conservation. The integrated approach of taking into confidence the local people in the present study has helped in generating a reliable picture of the patterns and processes of kutki extraction. The same may be replicated in other mountain areas for other heavily extracted species.

Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN)

The bioresource or biological resource includes all components of biological diversity with actual or potential value for humanity and the sustainability of the living systems. It is generally understood as the biotic component of ecosystems that includes organisms, parts thereof, populations, genetic resources and any other element that are of tangential and non-tangential benefit. Indian sub-continent supports varied bioclimatic regions and biodiversity. Despite several attempts from both the national and international survey organizations, we still have incomplete information about several taxonomic groups (e.g. plants, insects and other lower life forms) on their conservation status. This is because we have not been able to generate the comprehensive data on their distribution and population status. Even more, we hardly have reliable information on the levels of harvesting of these species from the natural habitats, their economic value and ecological significance.