A CASE STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANT CONSERVATION IN THE JABALPUR DISTRICT, INDIA

Abstract

Medicinal and aromatics plants play a vital role in health care around the world. Biodiversity is the natural biological capital of earth. Therefore, there is a need to improve basic knowledge about medicinal plants species and their distribution; promote conservation of vulnerable species at the grass-roots level; adopt sustainable collection and management practices on public lands and conservation of medicinal plants with their commercial development. Cultivation is a vital tool for the biodiversity conservation of medicinal plants, with gene banks and botanic gardens contributing additionally to the conservation of species diversity. Both in situ and ex situ methods of biodiversity conservation are equally important and efficient. This chapter describes the significant role of ethnic people who have conserved the biodiversity in and around localities of their natural habitat since the beginnings of civilization.