Project report from a preliminary visit to Chamoli district, June 2006

Summary

Report prepared by Archana Godbole, 2 August 2006

As part of the project ‘Capacity building for linking medicinal plant conservation and sustainable livelihoods in Western Himalayas, India’, AERF carried out an initial appraisal of the project area in July 2006. Earlier, Pauri Garhwal was thought appropriate to carry out the proposed intervention. But, after the preliminary visit and discussions with NGOs and institutions from the area, it was felt that the intervention would be more suitable if carried out in Chamoli rather than Pauri Garhwal.

Chamoli is a neighbouring district to Pauri Garhwal in the western Himalayas. Pauri Garhwal has only two pockets where medicinal plants are collected and sold, whereas high altitude medicinal plants are available in large quantities in Chamoli District and their collection and trade are major occupations of the communities.

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The main objectives of the field visit were:

• To identify the areas of intervention and to select the villages.
• To understand the current status of livelihoods related to medicinal plants.
• To identify partner organizations and local support for the work.

Chamoli is the hub of medicinal plant collection and trade in Uttaranchal. Collection of medicinal plants is a source of livelihoods for the people from interior villages, but due to over-exploitation of medicinal plants from the wild, cultivation is being propagated in this state. Every year, shepherds and local gatherers from the villages collect a number of medicinal plants from the wild and use them for domestic purpose or sell these to the local traders. The traders sell these for a huge profit in the local markets and also, in markets as far as Haridwar, Dehradun, Ramnagar, Saharanpur, Tanakpur, Delhi, Amritsar, and Kolkata. Plants collected from this region include Podophyllum hexandrum, Aconitum heterophyllum, Saussurea obvallata, Picrorrhiza kurrooa, and Nardostachys jatamansi. Most of these are illegally harvested from the wild. These are found at an elevation above 1500 m.

In Chamoli district, the study will be concentrated in Kedarnath, Ghat and Dewal regions (Gwaldam).

In Chamoli, there is organized trade in medicinal plants in the Ghat and Dewal regions. The proposed intervention will be carried out in Ghat and Dewal block as there are some local NGOs and institutions working in these regions to promote cultivation of medicinal plants to reduce pressure on collection from the wild.

But there are some problems associated with cultivation too, like infestation by pests, storage facilities for the medicinal plants, based commodities etc. Therefore, cultivation cannot be considered the only possible solution to the problem of over-exploitation of these plants.

To enhance the livelihood of the locals and to assist in conservation of these medicinal plants, other methods like sustainable harvesting have to be considered. AERF will be carrying out this work in collaboration with ‘Ankur’, a local NGO working for medicinal plants cultivation in Ghat and the surrounding villages. The other collaborators for the work are Dr. Maikhuri (G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development) and Prof. Nautiyal (High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Centre). The proposed intervention will be carried out in six villages from each of the three regions (Kedarnath, Ghat and Dewal) over a one-year period which will include interactions, meetings with the stakeholders and capacity building sessions; and workshops for information on medicinal plants and sustainable harvesting methods.

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During the preliminary study, it was observed that collection and trade of medicinal plants is also high in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. This protected area is situated in the north-west corner of Chamoli District at a height of 3583 m above sea-level. This area is buzzing with pilgrims, tourists and shepherds, resulting in added pressure on the plant diversity. Even though there is a ban on medicinal plant collection in the sanctuary, this activity is illegally carried out by outsiders who export medicinal plants (or commodities prepared from the plants) to China via Tibet. Studying this area will increase our understanding of trade in high altitude medicinal plants and also give a complete picture of the trade from the region. This will help us in our work in the Ghat and Dewal districts to better understand the problems related to medicinal plants and identify potential solutions.

The next visit to the project area will be in the month of September. The work to be accomplished during this visit will include:

1. Networking with the partner institutions and their representatives.
2. Collecting information from selected villages on medicinal plant collection and trade.
3. Rapid livelihood analysis research in the selected villages.
4. Listing of and establishing rapport with the stakeholders involved in the medicinal plant activities.
5. Discussions with stakeholders and villagers, including stakeholders’ workshops and village meetings.
6. Preparation of training modules and publicity material (brochures/ posters).

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Partner institutions

1. Ankur
2. G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Srinagar
3. High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Centre, Srinagar

Important Herbaceous Medicinal plants from Chamoli district

 

 

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