ECOLOGY AND UTILIZATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SELECT TRIBAL GROUPS IN THE NILGIRI BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Abstract

Forest dwellers have been using the plants around their settlements to treat their health ailments since time immemorial, the knowledge of which was obtained from their ancestors orally. However, in recent years such traditional knowledge is getting depleted among tribal groups, due to cultural westernisation, industrialisation, urbanisation and rapid loss of their natural resource base. Traditionally, the tribals extracted medicinal plants for sustenance and local sales. But, increasing commercialisation has lead to over-exploitation of medicinal plants resulted in the reduction of the population of these species. Although, there is considerable evidence for over-harvesting of medicinal plants, quantitative data on the effect of extraction on natural populations are very few. Moreover, information on density, population structure and the resource base for future utilization is unknown for most extractive reserves.