Conservation of medicinal plant includes two main strategies: 1. Ex-situ conservation 2. In-situ conservation

1. Conservation of
Medicinal Plants
Presented By-
Diksha Kataria
Assistant Professor
Lord Shiva College of Pharmacy

2. Introduction
 India has one of the richest plant medicinal cultures in the world.
 Herbal plants that have been used by Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and
Ttibetan system of health care face an uncertain future due to over
exploitation.
 Conservation is about preventing damage and loss to our cultural
heritage.

3. Conservation Activities:
i. Preservation
ii. Restoration
iii. Examination
iv. Documentation
v. Research
vi. Advise
vii.Treatment
viii.Training and Education

4. Need for Conservation
❑ While the demand for medicinal plants is increasing their
survival in their natural habitats is under threat.
❑ Over and a half million practitioners of Indian system of
medicine use medicinal plants in preventive, promotive and
curative applications.
❑ Medicinal plants are potential renewable natural resources.
❑ Several medicinal plants have been assessed as endangered,
vulnerable and threatened due to over harvesting in the wild.

5. Extinction
 The species which can not be found in the areas they have been inhabited
from are called extinct species.
 Causes of extinction:
i. Forest depletion
ii. Greenhouse effect
iii. Acid rain
iv. Pollution
v. Illegal exports trade

6. Endangered species
 These are the species which have become extinct or are on the verge of extinction.
 IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has classified endangered species
as the following:
a) Rare species- Species with small population restricted geographically with localized
habitats. They are not in immediate danger of extinction.
b) Vulnerable species- Species are under threat of extinction or actually declining in number.
c) Endangered species- Species with low population that are in considerable danger of
becoming extinct.
d) Critically endangered species- When a species is facing an extremely high risk of
extinction in wild in the immediate future.

7. Strategies for Conservation of Medicinal Plants
There are two main strategies for conservation of medicinal plants:
1. Ex- situ conservation
It is the conservation and maintenance of samples of living organisms outside their natural
habitat, in the form of whole plants, seeds, pollens, vegetative propagules, tissues or cell
cultures. Achieved by establishing gene banks.
It has several purposes:
▪ Rescue threatened germplasm
▪ Produce material for conserving biology research
▪ Produce material for reintroduction, reinforcement, habitat restoration and management.

8. The choice of species for ex-situ conservation is made on the basis of the
current local importance of the species and its capacity for natural
recognition.
2. In- situ conservation
▪ It includes the conservation of organisms in natural habitats, either by
protecting or restoring the habitat itself or by defending the species
from predators.
▪ This can be achieved by building national parks, wildlife sanctuaries,
community reserves etc.
▪ It helps to ensure the process of evolution and adaptation within their
environment.