Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Memorial Lecture: II

into action on ground. Besides the crop plants (NCEPC, 1978), there is a large
number of wild economic plants such as herbal drugs, underutilized food, fruit, fiber,
fuel, gum and tannin yielding plants, which are at present collected from nature Such
plants offer age-old vocation and a source of income to the local people. In view of
the high demand, during the past few decades, their extraction is far more than their
regenerability in nature. Often, a scorched earth policy is followed and very little is
left in the natural habitats for regeneration of their populations. Such plants are now
under threat on account of over-extraction, and are in urgent need of being
rehabilitatd on the one hand, and domesticated to meet the herbal drug and other
demands on the other.
Microorganisms which are an important component of any ecosystem have
received hardly any attention, particularly their association with the higher plants.
While we introduce plants from wild habitats, no attention is paid to the introduction
of the associated micro-organisms which constitute an important element in the
establishment of the higher plants particularly during domesticated and cultivation.
This aspect needs to be looked into, so that plant conservation and domestication
becomes as holistic as is possible.
During re-introduction of endangered species in the wild habitats for conservation
purposes, and domestication for trade purposes, the genetic composition of the
population of the particular species has also be to kept in mind. This would enable
basing conservation and domestication on a sound genetic-evolutionary footing. To
do this, it would be necessary to make a detailed analysis of genetic system of the
concerned species, which would also involve detailed cytogenetic analysis, including
at the molecular level.
In order to have an idea about the extent and nature of genetic variability
between species/ ecotypes/ and races in natural populations, use has to be made of
the standard isozyme analyses. These studies need to be supplemented, in a few
cases, with modern tools of genetic fingerprinting. Through this technique, it is
possible to study individual identity, family relationship and linkage mapping.
The above data would be useful for simulating, while restocking or reintroducing
populations in nature and also during domestication. The underlying idea is to
making restocking, reintroduction and domestication as natural as is possible.
Twenty six “hot spots” have been identified in India where there are high rates of
deforestation and endemicity which need priority attention (Khoshoo, 1991). One of
these is the Himalayan belt as a whole. It constitutes one mega hot-spot; eight areas
in the Himalaya are specially critical. These are: Ladakh and Kashmir Himalaya,
Kumaon-Garhwal Himalaya, Shiwaliks, Terai, Sikkim Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh,
Lu Shai Hills and Tura Khasi hills. North Eastern Himalaya is also recognized
internationally as one of the “hot spots” (Mayers, 1988).
Out of the 214 species listed as endangered in the Himalayan belt (Appendix II),
nearly 37 need priority attention. Most of these are in commerce as herbal drugs of
repute and one is a botanical curiosity. Their collection offers economic benefits to
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