Because of the indiscriminate exploitation, extinction threat looms large over the rare species of medicinal plants in the forests of Bastar, which the tribal people have been using in their local treatment. Garud is such a tree found in the forests of the area, even venomous snakes die when they come in the contact of the tree.
The tribal believe that by keeping branches of the tree in their houses, snakes would not come in the hereabouts of their houses. The most costly ‘Seesam’ wood has been vanished from the forests. There were many such other rare medicinal plants, the efforts of the forest department to give them special protection, could not save them.
It could be evaluated how much the department is alert in giving protection and augmentation to the medicinal plants found in the forests of Bastar that even the counting of these rare plants has not been taken in the last seven years.
In 2005, the National Medicine Plant Board (NMPB) had conducted counting of the plants in Machkot forests and a list of medicinal plants that are on the brink of extinction had been prepared. Based on the list, protection and strengthening of these plants should have been done in Bastar, however, even after seven years, neither any survey has been done, nor do the officers of the department have any information about the last survey.
After the survey conducted in 2005, the list of vanishing medicinal plants, had been handed over to the Machkot range, but no officers posted there at present has any knowledge about any such list. In such a situation, what effort the officers have been making for the protection and strengthening of medicinal plants could easily be assessed.
The divisional forest officer said medicinal plants were being prepared at the NMPB nursery and their plantation work were being carried out and with the efforts of the department the number of medicinal plants have been increased last year. However, when the survey list is missing, how it could be ascertained whether the number has been increased or decreased.
According to DFO Anil Soni, because of lack of fund NMPB cannot supply the plants. Soon fund would be demanded and survey of the vanishing species would be conducted. The last survey had been conducted in 2005, the information of which should be with the Machkot range, he added.
According to Range officer, Machkot Range, he has no knowledge about the NMPB survey and no record is
available with the range office.