To conserve endangered Himalayan herbs Himachal Pradesh will be getting its first biodiversity park which is set up under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) by Himachal’s Forest department.
Sprawling over an area of 5 acres the biodiversity park will be coming at Mandi’s Bhulah valley which already hosts one of India’s premier research institutes going by the name of the Indian Institute of Technology.
With an estimated cost of ₹1 crore INR, this park will be one of its kind.
Mandi is not only a strategic location for this park but it also is rich in historical eminence, spiritually significant with its location along the banks of river Beas and beside the famous river ghats, it’s said that the town of Mandi houses over 80 stone-built temples, decorated with religious motifs and well-chiseled idols.
With temples housing bhootnath (Lord Shiva), Trilokinath, Panchvaktra and other important temples have ordained Mandi as the “Varanasi of hills”.
The aim is to link tourism activities along with extending new opportunities for researchers from around the globe to conduct in-depth exploration of various medicinal herbs found in the Himalayas that are on the verge of extinction.
Biological diversity is a precious resource intended for the continued existence of living beings and hence conserving biodiversity is concerned with restoring the equilibrium between humans and the atmosphere.
The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat is measured by two major components: The evenness and richness of the species.
The park would prove to be a boon for researchers and tourists but also a haven for endangered Himalayan herbs.
An herbal nursery to conserve herbs which are about to extinct in the mountains due to climate change has also been planned to be set up in this park.
This nursery will showcase herbs like Trillidium Govanianum (Nagchhatri), dhoop, Picrorhiza kurroa, Sarpagandha, Swertia, chirayita, Barbari plant and many other herbs on display.
Any research scholar around the globe can avail information about the herbs to conduct research work.
Published by – Kiruthiga K
Edited by – Kritika Kashyap
