Threats to the Plants with Medicinal Value in Anantnag District of Kashmir Valley

Abstract

Today’s severe human involvement has put millions of species at risk of extinction. The growing popularity of herbal remedies has boosted interest in ethnobotanical and ethno-medicinal studies on herbal products. As a result of the rising demand, medicinal plants are currently facing significant pressure. Plant-based goods are utilized not only in conventional therapy but also as a basic ingredient in contemporary medications. The growing human population and the growing demand for medical plants put a persistent strain on available resources, causing some wild species to continuously decline and eventually go extinct. At the same time, natural wild flora is disappearing at an alarming rate. In the present study area, overgrazing contributed 50%, Climate Change 27% and Tourist flow 29% to the threats to medicinal plants, apart from being continuously used for treating various diseases. So, in various regions of the world, multiple proposals have been made for the protection of medicinal plant species. This covers efforts like botanical gardens and gene banks in ex-situ conservation as well as in-situ conservation through the establishment of preservation areas and cultivation. The elements that can be used as preventive strategies to stop these actions or that can provide information about how detrimental they are to the sustainability of medicinal plants in a certain area need to be looked into urgently. To preserve this priceless legacy, it is crucial to work towards the protection and sustainable use of medicinal plant resources. A lot of work has been conducted in this area. However, no such work has been done in the Anantnag district on threats to medicinal plants. The main objective of the study is to identify the threats to medicinal plants in the Anantnag district of Kashmir Valley.