Special Lecture on Medicinal Plants-14-3-18 at Egra College-Prof. A.K.Mondal, BOT-VU-2018

1. Conservation and Management of Medicinal
Plants for Climate Change Adaptation in India
with special emphasis of South West
Bengal, India
Professor of Botany and Coordinator of
UGC-DRS-SAP and DBT-BOOST
Department of Botany & Forestry
VIDYASAGAR UNIVERSITY
Midnapore-721102
West Bengal India
Email: akmondal@mail.vidyasagar.ac.in

2. Discussion Plan
I. Socio-economic relevance of medicinal plants in
India and their rising demand to meet needs of
growing wellness sector;
II. Diminishing wild populations of medicinal plants
and factors affecting their re-establishment;
III. Strategies for conservation and management of
medicinal plants including for adaptation to climate
change.
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

3. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered
and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. The
traditional system of health care has been systematically used.

4. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Prehistoric times
Brief History
Ancient times Middle Ages Early Modern 19th and 20th centuries
Phytochemical basisRaw material
isolation

5. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

6. Importance of Medicinal Plants in India
More than 6000 plant species used for health care in India
under folk and codified Indian Medical Systems.
Raw drugs obtained from 1178 plant species are in active
trade with annual trade volume of >5 lakh MT.
Trade value of medicinal herbs for the year 2016-17 has been
pegged at Rs. 9000 crores (>$ 2000 million).
Poor forest-side people form a significant beneficiary group of
this trade. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and

7. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
1st
2nd
3rd
12%

8. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

9. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

10. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
I

11. Conservation Status of Medicinal Plants
• About 375 medicinal plant species have already been assessed
(in 21 States) as ‘Red-Listed’ in India
• 100 of these ‘Red-Listed’ species are in active trade (36 ‘CR’
species and 67 ‘EN’ species as per IUCN data)
• Wild populations of many of these species are fast reaching a
level of ‘No Return’
• Industry forced to use ‘substitutes’ (?) that may be
less efficacious
• Rural people losing all-important ‘Cash Income’
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

12. Some Red-Listed Medicinal Plants
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

13. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Flowring twig of Holarrhena pubescens Viscum articulatum

14. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

15. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Ehretia laevis (Boraginaceae) Gymnrma sylvestre

16. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Thunbergia grandiflora

17. Factors Affecting Wild Populations
Excessive and destructive harvesting;
Increasing biotic pressures in harvested areas;
Overtaking of harvested areas by invasive species;
Diminishing habitats – especially niche areas;
Weakening resilience of root stock/ germplasm to
re-establish.
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Many of these factors are triggered by changing climate

18. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
An invasive species is a plant, fungus, or
animal species that is not native to a specific
location, and that has a tendency to spread
to a degree believed to cause damage to the
environment, human economy or human
health.
One of the main cause for rapid growth of
this plant is climate change.

20. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Flowering times in Indian subcontinents
plants for example have changed, leading to:
Annual plants flowering earlier than
perennials,
Insect pollinated plants flowering earlier
than wind pollinated plants

21. Changes in life-cycles (phenology)
The timing of phenological events such as flowering is
often related to environmental variables such as
temperature.
Changing environments
Expected to lead to changes in life cycle events of plants
Lead to the asynchrony between species, or to change
competition between plants.

22. Impacts of Climate Change – Indicating Factors-I
Early Flowering!!
Rhododendon arboreum:
(February from March-May)
Bombax ceiba:
(From February-March to January)
Prunus cerasoides
(Now frequently seen from early October)
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

23. Impacts of Climate Change – Indicating Factors-II
Change Life Cycle pattern
Rhododendon arboreum:
(February from March-May)
Bombax ceiba:
(From February-March to January)
Prunus cerasoides
(Now frequently seen from early October)
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

24. Impacts of Climate Change – Indicating Factors-III
Change the mode of Pollination
Rhododendon arboreum:
(February from March-May)
Bombax ceiba:
(From February-March to January)
Prunus cerasoides
(Now frequently seen from early October)
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

25. Impacts of Climate Change – Indicating Factors-IV
Unprecedented Spread of Invasive Alien Species!!
Lantana camara
Eupatorium adenophorum/ Chromolaena odorata
Parthenium hysterophorus (Congress grass)
Ageratum conyzoides (Goat weed)
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and

26. Impacts of Climate Change – Indicating Factors-V
Vanishing Water Springs!!
Drying Alpine Lakes !!!
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

27. www.indiaatcop22.org
Impacts of Climate Change – Indicating Factors-VI
Receding Glaciers
-Effect glacial melt species…
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and

28. Impacts of Climate Change – Indicating Factors-VII
Receding Plant Populations
(Once common to now extremely
Rare in Shimla hills)
Lilium polyphyllum
Habenaria susannae (=Pecteilis gigantea)
Cyperipedium cordigerum
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and

29. Impacts of Climate Change – Indicating Factors-VIII
Upward Movement of Plant species
-Species/ tree-line moving up the altitude
(viz. Pinus wallichiana)
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

30. Conservation and Management Strategies-I
• Survival of local health traditions and livelihood of wild gatherers
being critically dependent on wild resource, banning wild
collection of medicinal plants does not seem to be a practical
solution.
• Cultivation of all species neither possible nor desirable.
• The solution, thus, lies in strengthening the already depleting
wild populations of Red-Listed medicinal plant species –
turn ‘Negative’ lists into ‘Action’ lists
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

31. Conservation and Management Strategies-II
• Delineate in situ conservation reserves for priority
medicinal plant species for long term conservation of
genetic resource of these species.
• Generate time series data to assess the impact of climate
change – establish permanent plots in different agro-
climatic regions.
• Create awareness amongst wild gatherers and build their
skills about sustainable harvesting practices.
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and

32. Conservation and Management Strategies-III
• Community supported cyclic wild harvest protocols –
Community Medicinal Plants Reserves (CMPRs).
• Water and moisture conservation to maintain habitat.
• Keep a check on the spread of invasive alien plant species to
critical habitats.
• Augmentation of wild populations of priority species through
assisted regeneration – soil working, seed sowing,
plantation, weed management, etc.
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and

33. Conservation and Management Strategies-IV
• Develop a cadre of ‘barefoot taxonomists’ to monitor wild
populations of priority medicinal plant species.
• Develop infrastructure and skills of wild gatherers in post-
harvest handling of raw drugs.
• Establish field gene banks of priority medicinal plants for
research and multiplication of germplasm.
• Encourage cultivation of priority medicinal plant species
through farmer clusters.
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and

34. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU

35. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
The ethnic people of South West Bengal (mainly Santal)
depend on plants and their parts, to cure their health
problems.
Approximately 150 species of medicinal plants are in
common use, and of these 45 are heavily used in
traditional healthcare systems in South West Bengal.
In present scenario, it was found that among these 45
species, 10 species are becoming increasingly rare and
under threat of extinction.

36. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
But these ethno medicinally important plants were
found rare or infrequent in the rural forest areas of South
West Bengal because of extensive use and various
anthropogenic activities.
To avoid biodiversity extinction some measures would
be taken, like, cultivation of rare medicinal plants,
provision of training and extension services to farmers
engaged in cultivation of medicinal plants, establishment
of herbal gardens in forest areas and creation of seed
bank.

37. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Data collection from Ethnic people

38. Another important issue due to the present day
crisis arising due to climatic changes is the proper
identification of the medicinal plants as wild
populations of many of these species are fast
reaching a level of „No Return‟ and industries are
being forced to use „substitutes‟ that may be
less efficacious.
DNA bar-coding is a modern method for proper
identification of plant species.
Modern Approach

39. The aim of DNA bar-coding of
the medicinal plants is to
create a reference DNA
barcode library, and to use
the same to authenticate the
raw drugs that are sold in
markets.

40. DNA barcode is a potential and
imperative method for proper
identification of plants with traditional
medicinal value.
Two important reasons for plant bar-
coding is to identity unknown specimens
to known species and to share it with the
community resource of sequences to
establish its taxonomical clarification.

41. DNA bar-coding is a taxonomic
method that uses a short genetic
marker in an organism's DNA to
identify it as belonging to a
particular species.
In 2003, Paul Hebert, researcher at
the University of Canada, proposed
“DNA bar-coding” as a way to identify
species properly.

42. BASIC PRINCIPLE
•Bar-coding uses a very short genetic sequence
from a standard part of the genome.
•A desirable locus for DNA bar-coding should be
standardized (so that large databases of
sequences for that locus can be
developed), present in most of the taxa of interest
and sequenceable without species-specific PCR
primers, short enough to be easily sequenced with
current technology, and provide a large variation
between species yet a relatively small amount of
variation within a species.

43. Although several loci have been suggested, a
common set of standardized regions were
selected by the respective committees:
The gene region that is being used as the standard
barcode for almost all animal groups is a 648 base-pair
region in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene
(“CO1”).
COI is not an effective barcode region in plants because it
evolves too slowly, but two gene regions in the chloroplast,
matK and rbcL, have been approved as the barcode regions
for plants.
In the case of fungi, part of Internal Transcribed Spacer 2
(ITS2) between rRNA genes is used.

44. MaturaseK gene (matK) of chloroplast is
highly conserved in plants which is associated
in Group II intron RNA splicing.
This reputed gene product matK is the only
maturase present in chloroplasts making its
presence unique.
DNA bar-coding by plastid coding matK
markers involves sequencing of a standard
region of DNA as a tool for angiosperm
identification.

45. DNA bar-coding has three main steps:
1. DNA extraction
2. PCR amplification - Following the PCR
amplification, the PCR product is analyzed
on an agarose gel to confirm that
amplification has occurred.
3. DNA sequencing and analysis for
identification of the organism - Once a
PCR product has been obtained it is sent
to a sequencing company to determine the
identity of the organism.

46. There are two programs that can be used to
analyze the DNA sequence:
•Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) - It is a
program that compares the DNA sequence to
samples that have been identified by a taxonomist
and include additional data about the sample.
•National Center for Biotechnology Information
(NCBI) Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST)
- NCBI BLAST is a program which compares a
sequence to both vouchered and non-vouchered
samples.

47. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Message-I
“TO CREATE HEALTHY
ECOSYSTEM, ENVIRONMENT
WHICH WILL BE HELPFUL FOR
SUSTAINABLE GREEN PLANET”

48. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU
Message-II
“HERBAL DRUGS ARE THE ONLY
ALTERNATIVE TO PROTECT
OURSELVES FROM THE SIDE EFFECTS
OF SYNTHETIC DRUGS”

49. Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Message-III
“OUR AWARNESS IS REQURE FOR PROTECTION OF RARE
AND ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES FROM THE WORLD,
OUR COUNTRY, OUR STATE, OUR DISTRICT, OUR VILLAGE
AND FINALLY OUR LOCALITY WICH ARE MEDICINALLY
IMPORTANT AND BECOMING ENDANGERED DUE TO
DIFFERENT ANTHROPOGENIC THREAT.
FINALLY I CAN SAY OUR TALK ON PLANTS IN THE FORM OF
CONCERNESS, SEMINAR, WORKSHOP, SPECIAL TALK ETC.
WILL BE A GRANT SUCCESS IF OUR AWARENESS ARE
INCRESES GRADULLY”.

50. Thank You
Special Lecture-Prof. A.K.Mondal-Prof. and
Coordinator-VU