Karnataka Forest department has received a Rs 90 lakh financial assistance from the National Medicinal Plants Board to protect and conserve medicinal plants. In this regard, the medicinal plants section of the state forest department has been asked to focus four projects.

The first project is the conservation and development of ‘Saraca asoka’, a medicinal tree. The bark of this tree is an important medicine in Ayurveda. The second project is the conservation of engendered medicinal plants in the Western Ghats. Third is the resource augmentation of medicinally important trees in Karnataka. The fourth project is the protection and identification of medicinal plants in the dry and moist areas of the state.

The four projects will provide a quantum leap in the protection of medicinal plants, S Venu Gopal, additional principal chief conservator of Forests, Medicinal Plants wing Karnataka Forest department, told Pharmabiz.

The districts coming under the purview of the first project will take off at Udupi and Dharwad districts. For the second project which is the conservation of medicinal plants in the Western Ghats regions districts of Dharwad Uttaraka Kannada and Belgaum are included. For the third project, it is Mysore, Belgaum and Uttara Kannada districts. For the fourth project which covers Dry Areas will include Dharwad, Gulbarga, Mandya (red sandal wood), Bangalore Rural, Bidar, Bellary and Belgaum. The Moist Regions will cover Uttara Kannada, Belgaum and Mysore.

“The projects have been already commenced. We have identified these regions and the medicinal plants which can be grown and need to be protected,” said Gopal.

The funding from NMPB is for a period of three years and the grant can be extended going by the indispensability of medicinal plants to treat various diseases and disorders. Of course, the primary aim is to ensure that resource utilization is maximized for research purposes, he added.