SURVEY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN NORTHERN AREAS

Astore Valley, a Hub of Medicinal Plants in Northern Areas of Pakistan (Present potential, constraints in conservation & future prospects) by Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, WWF-Pakistan, 2004.

Astore valley, a sub-division of Diamer district adjoining the eastern side of Nanga Parbat (8,126 m), is about 120 km long and 5,092 sq. km in area. The entrance of the valley is located about 60 km southeast of Gilgit with four side-valleys. The valley has more than 100 villages with a total population of 71,666 (Census Report 1998). The majority of people practice subsistence agriculture and livestock is the main source of livelihood complemented by seasonal work in down districts of the country.

Due to its diverse landscape and climatic conditions the valley provides excellent habitat for a variety of commercially important medicinal plants.

This paper quotes various studies on medicinal plant surveys and these are as follows:

A detailed medicinal plants’ survey in Astore, Shigar and Khaplu valleys reported 39 medicinally important plants out of which 21 were found in Astore. Similarly another survey found 34 medicinal plants in Bulashbar nallah, Astore whereas 77 medicinal plants were reported from Chilim, Burzil, Minimarg and Deosai in Astore valley in a separate study.

Since the British era until to-date, Astore valley has been the largest exporting area of medicinal plants in Northern Areas. Over-exploitation, free grazing, deforestation, conversion of forest and pastures to other land uses and lack of proper management system are major issues in the conservation of medicinal plants. Compared with forests and wildlife, most medicinal plants are able to give economic return in a shorter term, future prospects to make them sustainable income generators are good through the introduction of suitable participatory management system including marketing.

This paper by Ibrahim Khan seeks to explore the potential of the valley in terms of medicinal plants and identify NGOs willing to work for their promotion and to bring the attention of various stakeholders including herbal industries to the conservation of these valuable but fast deteriorating natural resources.

The medicinal plants reported by all of the above-mentioned works have been compiled in the following table as presented in this paper.

Table 3. Medicinal plants of Northern Areas compiled by Ibrahim Khan, WWF-Pakistan

Source: Khan, M.I. 2004. Astore Valley, a hub of medicinal plants in Northern Areas of Pakistan: present potential, constraints in conservation & future prospects. WWF-Pakistan, Jutial, Gilgit.