13.07.2015 Views

Identification and Conservation of Important Plant Areas - Plantlife

Identification and Conservation of Important Plant Areas - Plantlife

Identification and Conservation of Important Plant Areas - Plantlife

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

<strong>Identification</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Conservation</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Important</strong> <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Areas</strong> for Medicinal <strong>Plant</strong>s in the HimalayaKathm<strong>and</strong>u RecommendationMedicinal plants <strong>of</strong> the Himalaya are a major source <strong>of</strong> income for communities in theregion; they provide basic healthcare for millions <strong>of</strong> citizens <strong>and</strong> possess immensecultural value.This resource base in terms <strong>of</strong> the plants themselves <strong>and</strong> the knowledge<strong>of</strong> their use is being eroded at an alarming rate. Ensuring a sustainable future for thisresource is a regional imperative.As a group <strong>of</strong> government <strong>and</strong> non-government organisations <strong>and</strong> the herbal industrywe are concerned about the disappearance <strong>of</strong> medicinal plants.We recognise the value<strong>of</strong> identifying <strong>Important</strong> <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Areas</strong> (IPAs) for medicinal plants as priority sites forconservation action <strong>and</strong> we have made a first attempt to identify these sites across theHimalaya <strong>and</strong> to record the experiences <strong>of</strong> projects aimed at plant conservation.We believe that the involvement <strong>of</strong> the community (as a major stakeholder) is essentialfor effective conservation <strong>of</strong> medicinal plants at IPAs.Accordingly we recommend thatcommunity involvement in the identification <strong>and</strong> management <strong>of</strong> IPAs should be adoptedas a major conservation approach for the medicinal plants in such areas.We are committed to promoting the conservation <strong>of</strong> medicinal plants through theabove approach <strong>and</strong> through sharing experiences on best practise nationally <strong>and</strong> acrossthe region.Since joint collaborative efforts will contribute more effectively to the implementation <strong>of</strong>targets for plant conservation in the internationally agreed Global Strategy for <strong>Plant</strong><strong>Conservation</strong> (Convention on Biological Diversity), we, the workshop participants,strongly urge NGOs, local <strong>and</strong> national governments, <strong>and</strong> industry within the Himalayanregion to join h<strong>and</strong>s in our efforts to conserve these resources.This Recommendation was developed at a Regional Workshop on the <strong>Identification</strong> <strong>and</strong><strong>Conservation</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Important</strong> <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Areas</strong> for Medicinal <strong>Plant</strong>s in the Himalaya held atKathm<strong>and</strong>u, Nepal, September 19–22 2006.Signed: Participants at the Regional Workshop (Annex 3)3

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!