Bio-Resources of Northeast India: Sustainable Utilization and Challenges

Abstract

The lofty mountainous state of India, popularly called a land of the rising sun, Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India, has exceedingly a diverse geology, topography and climate referred to as “Paradise of the Botanist” which exhibits a plethora of trees, shrubs, herbs, epiphytes, ferns and cryptogams and houses numerous rare, endangered and endemic species. Because 80 % of the people are farmers relying heavily on agriculture especially “jhum” cultivation of the hilly states, therefore the local communities have to depend on wild food and animals as supplement. Bio-resources in Northeast India have been exposed to many challenges in recent years. Many important species of plants having potential medicinal properties, e.g. aromatic plants, cereals and pulses, ornamental plants, timber-yielding plants, etc., are being overexploited in recent years which have resulted in depletion of such species in their natural habitat. Due to enormous prospect of indigenous knowledge on utilization of medicinal plant species and other crop plants, proper conservation measures should be initiated through sustainable utilization of bio-resources so as to prevent exploitation which is a serious concern as regard these species.