Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today stressed the need to legalise harvesting and trade of medicinal plants in the state to save the crops from over-exploitation, an official release said.
Chairing a review meeting of the state forest department here, Khandu said, "Hundreds of medicinal plants face threats of extinction because of over-harvesting and destructive collection techniques."
A mechanism should be devised to facilitate farmers to grow endangered medicinal plants for sustainable income, the chief minister said.
"The forest department should bring out a policy to legalise trade of therapeutic herbs, which in turn would also enable the state government to earn revenue," Khandu asserted.
Responding to the department's grievances, the chief minister sanctioned Rs 15 crore for forest regeneration works in the state and announced the creation of 200 forest guard posts.
He also said that a minister would be appointed by tomorrow for effective decision-making and smooth functioning of the forest officials.
The CM congratulated the state's Bugun tribal community for winning the India Biodiversity Award in the "Conservation of wildlife species" category.
The award was conferred on the community by National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) for its effort to conserve rare wildlife resources.
The government alone cannot protect the nature, the participation of local communities is equally important, Khandu said, urging people to take up eco-friendly measures for conservation of biodiversity.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
