Pragya has set up a programme involving Himalayan communities to protect plants in the wild.
Medicinal and aromatic plants are an important part of the Himalayan flora and contribute to the stability of its ecosystems. They are also central to the cultures of remote Himalayan communities, who use them in their traditional medicine. Unfortunately, the species, habitats and cultural aspects associated with them are tending to disappear. These plants are threatened by the pressure related to the development and extraction of herbs from forests to meet the strong commercial demand.
Pragya has been working to address this issue by setting up a programme involving Himalayan communities to protect plants in the wild. The programme also helps disadvantaged smallholders in the region to grow herbs to replace those that are usually harvested in the wild.
The "Ancestral knowledge preservation, conservation and cultivation of endangered medicinal and aromatic plants in the Himalayas" project aimed to extend the scope of Pragya's programme to the western Indian Himalayas, more specifically to the districts of Chamba and Leh. It involved setting up a network of community councils that include traditional healers. These groups are responsible for protecting and conserving local areas rich in medicinal plants, as well as managing the natural environment while growing valuable medicinal and aromatic plants to generate better income. At the same time, the community councils document the plants and ethnobotanical knowledge. The project also included training for young conservators, who are encouraged to monitor local ecosystems and lead conservation campaigns. The creation of ethnobotanical centres and eco-trails also helped to raise community awareness of the importance of conserving Himalayan medicinal and aromatic plants.
