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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Communication Is cultivation of Saussurea costus (Asterales: Asteraceae) sustaining its conservation?

Chandra Prakash Kuniyal, Joel Thomas Heinen, Bir Singh Negi & Jagdish Chandra Kaim

26 October 2019 | Vol. 11 | No. 13 | Pages: 14745–14752 DOI: 10.11609/jot.3581.11.13.14745-14752

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Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2019 | 11(13): 14745–14752

Is cultivation of Saussurea costus (Asterales: Asteraceae) sustaining its conservation? Communication

Chandra Prakash Kuniyal 1 , Joel Thomas Heinen 2 , Bir Singh Negi 3 & ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) Jagdish Chandra Kaim 4 ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM 1,4 Herbal Research and Development Insttute, Mandal, Gopeshwar, Chamoli, Utarakhand 246401, India. OPEN ACCESS 2 Department of Earth and Environment, AHC 5, Room No. 381, Florida Internatonal University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33199, USA. 3 Department of Agriculture, Cooperaton and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi 110001, India. 3 Present address: Consultant to the Natonal Hortculture Board and NABARD, Government of India, 302, Best Avenue Apartment, Balbir Road, Dehradun, Utarakhand 248006, India. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected]

Abstract: Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch., (Asteraceae) known in English as Costus, is a threatened Himalayan medicinal plant listed on CITES (2014) Appendix I, Schedule VI of the Wildlife Protecton Act (India) 1972, and Critcally Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Wild collecton of Costus is banned in India and permission is required for its cultvaton and marketng. In the past 100 years of cultvaton, various policy and management issues have impacted commercializaton of the species. In 2015, we conducted surveys in the village of Kanol, Chamoli District, Utarakhand, India to determine the status of Costus cultvaton, problems associated with its marketng and the potental for expanded propagaton to enhance local livelihoods. Forty-nine farmers in the study area were cultvatng costus and interest in its cultvaton had increased in the recent past due to the availability of governmental support. Annually, 1,250–2,950 kg roots (dried) and 20–57 kg seeds from this plant were produced by farmers within the study area. The area under Costus cultvaton per farm was fairly constant (0.5 or 0.6 ha.) from 2012 to 2014, and the producton of roots per farm ranged from 128 to 156 kg per year. Market prices for dried roots per kg had decreased over tme. We found that regional and natonal marketng of the plant was not a problem for farmers, but export of cultvated products was a major challenge due to existng laws. In additon, local understanding related to post-harvest value additon, and self-reliance in Costus cultvaton, was generally poor. Beter natonal policies that increase the prospects for export, and more outreach to local villagers, are needed to improve the conservaton and sustainable uses of Costus.

Keywords: Asteraceae, Costus, export, Himalaya, India, medicinal plant, wild collecton.

Abbreviatons: CITES—The Conventon on Internatonal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild fauna and Flora | IUCN—Internatonal Union for Conservaton of Nature and Natural Resources | TRAFFIC—Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce | WWF— World Wide Fund | WCCB—Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.

DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.3581.11.13.14745-14752

Editor: V. Sampath Kumar, Botanical Survey of India, Coimbatore, India. Date of publicaton: 26 October 2019 (online & print)

Manuscript details: #3581 | Received 27 October 2018 | Final received 22 July 2019 | Finally accepted 24 September 2019

Citaton: Kuniyal, C.P., J.T. Heinen, B.S. Negi & J.C. Kaim (2019). Is cultvaton of Saussurea costus (Asterales: Asteraceae) sustaining its conservaton? Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(13): 14745–14752. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.3581.11.13.14745-14752

Copyright: © Kuniyal et al. 2019. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton.

Funding: We have not received any specifc funding for this work. This work is part of our routne research.

Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests.

Author details: Dr. Chandra P. Kuniyal is Scientst in the Herbal Research and Development Insttute, his reserach focuses on cultvaton of medicinal and aromatc plants, and policy and legal issues. Dr. Joel T. Heinen is Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida Internatonal University, USA. His research focuses on conservaton policies including trade in endangered species and community-based conservaton programs. He has conducted feld work in Asia for over 35 years. Dr. Bir S. Negi is consultant to the Natonal Hortculture Board and NABARD, Government of India. His research focuses on extension actvites and partcipatory management. Dr. Jagdish C. Kaim is in the Department of Hortculture, Government of Utarakhand, his work is focused on extension actvites.

Author contributon: CPK conducted feld surveys, JTH contributed in manuscript preparaton and editng, BSN supervised the work and JCK helped in manuscript preparaton.

Acknowledgements: The director, Herbal Research and Development Insttute is thanked for providing key facilites and Mr. S.P. Purohit for feld assistance. The authors are also thankful to the editorial board of Journal of Threatened Taxa for support. Valuable suggestons from Dr. D.S. Rawat, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Utarakhand, India and anonymous reviewers and subject editor, has helped us a lot in the improvement of this manuscript.

14745 Is cultvaton sustaining Costus conservaton Kuniyal et al.

INTRODUCTION to 2010, 11.04MT of Costus (at INR53.00 to INR120.00 per kg; USD0.80 to USD1.80), was traded in natonal Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch. [Aucklandia costus markets from Utarakhand (Kuniyal et al. 2013). Despite Falc. ] syn. S. lappa (Decne.) Sch.Bip. (English and trade market volatlity, support from local communites and name: Costus; Hindi: Kuth, Koot, Kut; Sanskrit: Kushtha), insttutons for the cultvaton of Costus remains due to a member of the family Compositae/Asteraceae is a consistent demand within India. threatened medicinal plant natve to the Indian Himalaya In 1975, Costus was listed to CITES Appendix II, (Madhuri et al. 2011; Zahara et al. 2014; USDA 2018). however, India was not the party to CITES at that tme. In IUCN and the Red Data Book (RDB) of Indian Plants list 1978, the state government of Jammu & Kashmir, India, the species as Critcally Endangered and Endangered, enacted the Kuth (Costus) Act for the conservaton, respectvely, due to its restricted distributon and heavy preservaton, protecton and storage of the species. harvestng pressures (Hajra 1988; Walter & Gillet 1998; In 1980, with the consent of the Government of India, Saha et al. 2015). In the state of Jammu & Kashmir, Costus was relisted on Appendix I of CITES (TRAFFIC 2011). costus grows as a wild perennial along the Indo- To foster internatonal compliance, the Government of Pakistan border (Kuniyal et al. 2015). Rapid propagaton India amended the Wildlife Protecton Act (1972) (WPA) techniques have been developed (Johnson et al. 1997), in 1991 and inserted Schedule VI for the protecton of and the plant is cultvated in selected portons of the six rare medicinal plant species including Costus (WPA states of Utarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for both 1972; TRAFFIC 2011). Due to its inclusion on Schedule medicinal and germplasm purposes. Its roots are used VI of the WPA, cultvaton, possession, storage and to produce aromatc oils and both leaves and roots are trade of the species or its parts became illegal without used in traditonal and modern medicines for many permission from the chief wildlife warden. purposes (e.g., Akhtar & Rifat 1991; Kala 2005; Parekh At the tme of inclusion in CITES and WPA, only the & Karathia 2006; Pandey et al. 2007). Cultvaton began status of wild populatons of Costus was considered, in 1920 in Himachal Pradesh and in 1929 in Utarakhand while the fact that it was and remains under cultvaton (Kuniyal et al. 2005, 2015). in other Indian states was overlooked. Conficts have, In 1950, the area under Costus cultvaton in therefore, arisen about the validity of cultvated Himachal Pradesh was nearly 600ha, and this was the produce, and cultvators must abide by laws meant major source of the plant for both in-country trade and for the conservaton of wild plants. This is a common export to China (Kuniyal et al. 2015), which is the major issue for endangered plants otherwise under cultvaton market importng wild plant and animal products from worldwide (e.g., Heinen & Chagain 2002; Shrestha- neighbouring countries and from many other parts of Acharya & Heinen 2006; Liu et al. 2014). Due to such the world (e.g., Heinen et al. 1995, 2001). During that provisions, herbal formulatons or products containing period, the estmated annual producton of Costus costus can be seized at natonal and internatonal in Himachal Pradesh was 300 to 400 metric tons (MT; destnatons (TRAFFIC 2013). Therefore, validaton 1.0MT = 1,000.00kg; TRAFFIC 2011). In 1962, Indo- of cultvated plant species listed in CITES and/or Chinese trans-border trade was stopped due to politcal natonal conservaton legislaton requires much more conficts between the two countries and the export consideraton. of Costus was greatly afected. Cultvaton, however, Here we made household surveys to explore the persisted and from 1988 to 2001 an estmated 304MT current status of Costus cultvaton in the village of of Costus, at INR20.40 (USD0.30) to INR56.00 (USD0.84) Kanol, Chamoli District, Utarakhand, India, in an efort per kg (INR66.64 = USD1.00, as on 08 March 2017), from to assess marketng paterns of cultvated produce Himachal Pradesh was marketed within India. By 2002, and prospects for expansion of cultvaton to promote the per-farm area under Costus cultvaton was quite rural livelihoods. We also considered the possibility small, ranging from 0.002 to 0.014 ha (Kuniyal et al. of local self-reliance in costus cultvaton and provide 2005). suggestons for how laws can be amended to beter- In 1929, introductory cultvaton of costus began facilitate domestc cultvaton and marketng. at the Department of Forest’s Bhuna Farm, located at about 3,150m in Chamoli District, Utarakhand, India. Cultvated Costus from this region was presumably all exported to China at that tme, but informaton regarding annual producton is not available. From 2007

14746 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2019 | 11(13): 14745–14752 Is cultvaton sustaining Costus conservaton Kuniyal et al.

MATERIALS AND METHODS medicinal herbs such as Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth. (Kutki) and Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. (Ats) Study area has also received recent atenton. Majority of the The village of Kanol, Chamoli District, Utarakhand, villagers of Kanol are well-accustomed to the cultvaton India was selected for the feld survey. Kanol is located of costus but, at present, only 49 families in the area about 8.0km from the department of forest’s Bhuna cultvate costus from domestc germplasm. Experimental Farm (~3,150m; 30.154⁰N, 79.395⁰E), For the past one and a half decades, programs have where cultvaton of costus was initated in 1929. The been initated by the Government of Utarakhand for village includes about 300 families in three setlements: promotng the cultvaton of medicinal and aromatc Sarma-Badguna, Pranmat and Kanol. As is common plants (MAPs). As per rules, MAPs growers in throughout rural areas of India (e.g., Shrivastava & Utarakhand are registered with the Herbal Research Heinen 2005), cultvaton of staples such as potato and Development Insttute (HRDI). On the basis of (Solanum tuberosum L.), wheat (Tritcum aestvum L.), registraton, transit passes (permission for transport and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), amaranth (Amaranthus sale of cultvated MAPs products to anyone and anywhere caudatus L.), and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is done in in India) are granted to growers. The Chief Wildlife self-owned or leased agricultural lands and cultvaton of Warden, Government of Utarakhand, has delegated optonal cash crops such as costus frequently takes place power to the Herbal Research and Development in small home garden plots. In additon, rearing livestock Insttute for grantng permission to cultvate Costus and such as water bufalo (Bubalus bubalis L.), catle/cows Indian Medicines and Pharmaceutcals Limited (IMPCL), (Bos taurus L.), humped catle/bullock (Bos indicus L.), a government-operated company based in Utarakhand, sheep (Ovis aries L.) and goats (Capra aegragus hircus has agreed to purchase cultvated Costus from local L.) is also common. The collecton of Ophiocordyceps farmers at INR150.00/kg (Choudhary et al. 2013). sinensis (Berk.) G.H. Sung, J.M.Sung, Hywel-Jones & The price for sale or purchase of costus seed is set at Spatafora syn. Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc. (Vern. - INR1,000.00/kg by the government. Kida Jadi, Eng. Winter Worm-Summer Grass, Tibetan – Yartsa Gumba) during May and June has also emerged as Surveys a signifcant economic actvity in recent years (Kuniyal & Field surveys were conducted in the Sarma-Badguna Sundriyal 2013). In response to government programs, (~2,400m, 30.2500N, 79.5830E), Pranmat (~2,500m, the cultvaton of Saussurea costus, as well as other 30.2570N, 79.5660E), and Kanol (~2,600m, 30.2450N,

UTTARAKHAND

Figure 1. Study area showing diferent setlements (Sarma-Badguna, Pranmat and Kanol) (not to scale).

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Is cultvaton sustaining Costus conservaton Kuniyal et al.

79.2050E) setlements of Kanol village during October averages of 3.17kg of seed in 2012–13, 2.50kg in 2013– 2015 (Figure 1). Costus is a perennial and harvestable 14 and 1.85kg in 2014–15, respectvely. Accordingly, produce is obtained afer approximately two and a half on the basis of ofcially-fxed price (Rs. 1,000.00/kg; years of growth. Therefore, the area under cultvaton US $ 15,00, for seeds), individual farmers earned, on in respectve years was considered, only, where from average, Rs. 3,170.00 (US $ 47.56), Rs. 2,500.00 (US produce was harvested in that year. A semi-structured $ 37.51) and Rs. 1,850.00 (US $ 27.76) in 2012–13, questonnaire, asking informaton regarding, i) area 2013–14 and 2014–15 respectvely (Table 1). Only under Costus cultvaton, ii) producton of roots and four farmers in the study area (who, in fact, were not seeds in the past three years, iii) prices received from the registered traders) were engaged in collecton, pooling, sale of roots and seeds at the village level, iv) marketng traditonal drying and sale of Costus from the village to paterns at the village level, and v) key problems in nearby towns. Produce, at the town-level, was then sold marketng, was used for feld surveys. to any independently-registered trader with the forest Data were analysed for total producton and prices department or its corporaton, or to anyone authorized per kilogram during feld surveys. General discussion by the District Herbal Produce Purchasing and Selling with villagers as key informants (e.g., Shrestha-Acharya Cooperatve Associaton. In some instances, Costus & Heinen 2006) was also held regarding cultvators’ produce may also be purchased by any unregistered intentons for, or interest in, self-reliance in Costus trader, in which case, unreported trade is illegal under cultvaton, problems they face exportng costus, and natonal and state law. whether fuctuatons in the prices of raw material was Cultvators informed that, in general, local, regional, a hindrance to producton. Conventon on Internatonal and natonal trade of Costus is not a problem due Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and to recent facilitaton from the Utarakhand State Flora (CITES) and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Government. Ever-fuctuatng or generally decreasing (www.wccb.org) websites were also considered for prices were the main worry reported but, in any case, understanding natonal and internatonal compliances farmers were stll able to sell their produce. Export- and regulatons about trade of threatened, CITES listed oriented marketng, however, poses many hurdles such MAPs. as problems in obtaining legal procurement certfcate (LPC), which is required for issuing valid export permits from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB). RESULTS Maintaining quality standards required for export purposes was also reportedly difcult for local growers, During the years 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–15, a common problem in the region (e.g., Shrestha-Acharya the area under Costus cultvaton in the study area was & Heinen 2006). Cultvaton of Costus along with 0.97ha. (18 farmers), 0.50ha. (8 farmers), and 1.18ha. Amaranth in mountain villages is innovatve (Image 1a), (23 farmers), respectvely. On an individual basis, the however, misidentfcaton of species in cultvaton was average area under Costus cultvaton was 0.05–0.06 ha. another problem for the villagers (also see Heinen & A total of 2,425kg of Costus was produced in 2012–13, Shrestha-Acharya 2011). while much less (1,250kg) was produced in 2013–14 and For example, the natve weed Arcitum lappa L. more (2,950kg) was produced in 2014–15. On an average (Asteraceae) also grows throughout the region and it is per annum basis, individual farmers produced about difcult to diferentate it from Costus in its vegetatve 135kg, 156kg, and 128kg of Costus in 2012–13, 2013–14, stages (Image 1b,c). They are easy to diferentate only and 2014–15, respectvely (Table 1). The average prices during fowering or fruitng, but that generally takes for the sale of costus at the village level were INR118.33 more than two years. Subsistence agro-pastoralism or (USD1.77) in 2012–13, INR110.10 (USD1.65) in 2013–14, other competng economic interests may be making and INR74.35 (USD1.11) in 2014–15. The estmated Costus cultvaton less important to villagers because average income per farmer per year from the sale of the plant grows rather slowly and thus has a delayed roots was INR15,941.41 (USD239.22), INR17,187.00 efect on livelihoods. Even seed collecton does not (USD257.92), and INR9,536.10 (USD143.01) in 2012–13, get the atenton it deserves despite guaranteed prices 2013–14, and 2014–15, respectvely (Table 1). and markets, so seeds sometmes go unharvested and A total 119.50kg of Costus seeds was produced germinate at their inforescences due to their viviparous in the study area during 2012–13 to 2014–15. On nature (Chauhan et al. 2018; Image 1d). an individual basis, cultvators were able to produce

14748 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2019 | 11(13): 14745–14752 Is cultvaton sustaining Costus conservaton Kuniyal et al.

Table 1. Cultvaton and producton of Saussurea costus in Kanol, a remote village of Utarakhand (the western Himalaya), India.

No. of Income from seeds farmers Area under Producton in kg Income at village level Seed producton in the producton (in INR) @ (Total 49; cultvaton, hectare* (MT) (in INR) third year (in kg) INR1000.00/kg (in USD) involved Total Average Average in village Average Average Average Total Average income Total Total income per Total income per level area per producton Price income (in producton @ Rs. area producton farmer (in producton farmer (in marketng farmer per farmer (INR/ USD) per farmer 1000.00/kg USD) USD) Year 04) kg) (in USD) 118.33 ± 2012– 2,425.00 134.72 26.40 2,86,950.00 15,941.41 57.00 57,000.00 3,170.00 18 0.97 0.05 3.17 13 (2.43) (0.13) (1.78 ± (4305.97) (239.22) (855.34) (47.56) 0.40) 110.00 ± 2013– 1,250.00 156.25 26.73 1,37,500.00 17,187.50 20,000.00 2,500.00 08 0.50 0.06 20.00 2.50 14 (1.25) (0.16) (1.65 ± (2063.33) (257.92) (300.12) (37.51) 0.40) 74.35 ± 2014– 2,950.00 128.26 6.62 2,19,332.00 9,536.10 42,500.00 1,850.00 23 1.18 0.05 42.50 1.85 15 (2.95) (0.13) (1.12 ± (3291.30) (143.10) (637.75) (27.76) 0.10)

*Cost of cultvaton/ha., (soil and land development, seeds cost, weeding and hoeing, maintenance up to 3 years, uprootng or harvestng, and drying and packaging is approximately Rs. 150,000.00 (US $ 2250.90, @ Rs. 66.64 = US$ 1.00), and total proft afer 3 years may be Rs. 3,34,566.00 (US $ 5770.80). USD1 = INR66.64 as on 08 March 2017).

b

c

a d

Figure 2. a—cultvaton of Saussurea costus along with Amaranth (red inforescences) | b—fower head of S. costus | c—inforescence of Arcitum lappa | d—germinatng seeds of S. costus on the infructescence. © C.P. Kuniyal.

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DISCUSSION During the feld surveys, it was noted that cultvaton of Costus is as traditonal as it was decades ago and The fact that there is some contnued producton via farmers are not aware of, or trained about, proper traditonal cultvaton of Saussurea costus in this remote cleaning, drying and storage of harvested Costus Himalayan village is encouraging for the conservaton for value additon. Therefore, developing a beter of this endangered plant. On an average annual basis, understanding of cultvators and training them in post- we found that individual farmers had 0.05ha under harvest management techniques are equally or more cultvaton, from which about 100kg of roots and 2.50kg important than knowing traditonal practces. Value of seeds could be produced once the plants reached additon and possibilites for development of Costus- maturity (i.e., afer two to three years). Therefore, based small scale industries is a possibility, but there is the average economic beneft from Costus cultvaton a long way to go. Costus cultvators and collectors at estmated from this study is INR16,700.00 (USD250.00). the village level, as well as local traders, tend to work Calculated on per hectare basis, the total (gross) proft independently. There is a need to bring them together would be approximately INR334,566.00 (USD5,020.50). in the form of a grower’s and/or trader’s cooperatve On the other hand, on a per hectare basis, the income organizaton to promote price sharing and training for from traditonal cultvaton of potato is around more efectve marketng. INR175,700.00 (USD2,636.55; Kuniyal & Sundriyal A majority of growers in the study area stll look to 2013). In order to promote Costus as an economically- government for help in the cultvaton and marketng atractve crop, and to make it compettve with food of MAPs. More self-reliance would promote more crops, the prices for its sale at the village level would innovaton at all stages of producton. From the part of have to increase one-and-a-half to two tmes more than facilitatng agencies, adoptng strategies for reconciling at current prices. traditonal farming, conservaton and identfcaton of A total of 49 farmers in three setlements (Sarma- social, legal and politcal actons may help in bringing Badguna, Pranmat, and Kanol) of the village of Kanol about positve changes in conservaton-oriented farming were cultvatng Costus during the years under study. (Harvey et al. 2008). As compared to conventonal Almost all of them have revived this practce since 2009 approaches, developing socio-entrepreneurial from locally available seeds. A few growers also procured approaches can be efectve in enhancing conservaton some seeds from the adjacent state of Himachal Pradesh; efcacy and beneft sharing (Buschke 2015). Determining however, the productvity of both materials was virtually management goals for threatened species, and specifc identcal indicatng that domestcally-propagated plants policies for integrated development of the MAPs sector, showed no loss in ftness. This can be a concern with are also essental (Heinen & Shrestha-Acharya 2011). regard to some other medicinal plants proposed for Collectng baseline informaton allows for the evaluaton cultvaton (e.g., Liu et al. 2014). Despite the fact that this of conservaton practces and can be used to set plant is established as a fully-domestcated agricultural interventons for future (Bull et al. 2014). Domestcaton crop, the economic potental of Costus is high and and mass cultvaton of MAPs takes high energy inputs, export oriented cultvaton could possibly be achieved so developing supply mechanisms with lower energy via support from government sources to maintain the input may be advantageous to growers (Smith-Hall et al. gene pool in this area. 2012). The domestcaton and mass cultvaton of Costus in Policy and legal eforts of partes to CITES and the Indian Himalaya was previously aimed at producing the Conventon on Biological Diversity appear to be large quanttes for export to China. Today, small-scale currently insufcient (Lambooy & Levashova 2011). cultvaton persists to fll local and within-country Generally, developing countries are more focussed on demand only. Therefore, programmes supportng rapid economic development despite costs, rather than entrepreneurship development should be local to on more sustainable economic ventures (Okereke & regional, and involve some value additon and legal Ehresman 2015). As a result, MAPs are stll a neglected support (Kuniyal & Negi 2016, 2018). As currently commodity in local, regional and natonal development practced, Costus cultvaton is more an opportunistc plans of many poor countries (Larsen & Olsen 2007). actvity in some areas for small-income generaton. It is well accepted that policy and legal support from The trend in marketng has also indicated that, as the governments may improve multple perspectves of any availability of produce increased, prices decreased and indigenous practce (Ens et al. 2015). Legal amendments this is of great concern for cultvators. would be required in conservaton acts for promotng

14750 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2019 | 11(13): 14745–14752 Is cultvaton sustaining Costus conservaton Kuniyal et al. costus or any other CITES-listed species, as an export- beter economic returns. Self-reliance of costus oriented medicinal crop (Kuniyal et al. 2015). producton, in the economic sense, could possibly be Cultvaton of Costus is a century-old practce, achieved through the creaton of growers’ cooperatves therefore, acceptng it as an indigenous practce is and the expansion of producton into semi-processed inevitable. Cultvaton of any CITES listed MAPs in remote, products. Some interventon by governmental or non- inaccessible and developing regions presents optons for governmental enttes could facilitate this and thus make both conservaton and socio-economic development. cultvaton more atractve to local farmers. Considering While preparing conservaton plans for Costus, the fact ‘cultvaton’ and ‘collecton from the wild’ as two very that it has been under cultvaton for almost a century separate cases, and simplifying rules and regulatons for was largely overlooked. Conservaton criteria, and cultvated produce, will encourage farmers and promote rules and regulatons for protecton, were devised only wider cultvaton (Kuniyal et al. 2015). This should be based on informaton about its status in the wild. As a goal for both conservaton of any marketable species, a result, farmers cultvatng costus have to abide by and local economic development to improve rural these rules. In order to meet internatonal compliance, livelihoods. while an applicaton is fled with the ofce of WCCB for obtaining a legal procurement certfcate for any CITES- listed species, the applicant has to provide informaton REFERENCES regarding (i) source of procurement (collected from wild/bred in captvity/artfcially propagated), (ii) license Akhtar, M.S. & S. Rifat (1991). Field trial of Saussurea lappa roots number, and (iii) country in which the specimen was against nematodes and Nigella satva seeds against cestodes in taken from wild/bred in captvity/artfcially propagated. children. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Associaton 41(8): 185–187. Thus the procedure is complicated and the onus Baral, H.S., B. Sehgal, S. Mohsanin, K. Namgay & A.A. Khan (2014). is on the cultvator, which creates confusion and Species and habitat conservaton through small locally recognized discourages value-added, export-oriented cultvaton. and community managed special conservaton sites. Journal of Threatened Taxa 6(5): 5677–5685. htps://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT. The cultvaton and export of MAPs should be atractve o3792.5677-85 to growers in remote villages given the poverty inherent Bull, J.W., A. Gordon, E.A. Law, K.B. Sutlea & E.J. Milner-Gulland (2014). Importance of baseline specifcaton in evaluatng to these regions, and it would be an excellent example conservaton interventons and achieving no net loss of biodiversity. of special conservaton sites (Baral et al. 2014), involving Conservaton Biology 8(3): 799–809. htps://doi.org/10.1111/ conservaton through partcipatory approaches and cobi.12243 Buschke, F.T. (2015). The start up culture of conservaton income generaton. Therefore, atempts to maintain entrepreneurship. Conservaton Biology 29(1): 300–302. htps:// costus cultvaton in this area and modifying rules and doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12340 regulatons as per real-world conditons are highly Chauhan, R.S., Y.M. Bahuguna, M.C. Nautyal & J.H. Costa-Sάnchez (2018). First account of vivipary in Saussurea lappa (Decne.) Sch. recommended. Capacity building of farmers for Bip. (Asteraceae). Brazilian Journal of Botany 41(2): 507–514. improved agricultural practces, value additon and htps://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-018-0450-3 self-reliance are good optons for the conservaton and Choudhary, D., I. Ghosh, S. Chauhan, S. Baht & M. Juyal (2013). The value chain approach for mountain development: case studies from sustainable uses of threatened MAPs. Utarakhand, India. ICIMOD Working Paper 2013/6, Internatonal Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal, 44pp. CITES (2014). Appendices I, II & III, valid from 14 September 2014. CONCLUSIONS Accessed on 10 October 2018. Retrieved from htps://cites.org/ sites/default/fles/eng/app/2014/E-Appendices-2014-09-14.pdf Ens, E.J., P. Pert, P.A. Clarke, M. Budden, L. Clubb, B. Doran, C. Douras, Rejuvenaton of the cultvaton of Costus in remote J. Gaikwad, B. Got, S. Leonard, J. Locke, J. Packer, G. Turpin & S. mountain villages, and obtaining additonal income Wason (2015). Indigenous biocultural knowledge in ecosystem from the sale of its roots and seeds, is encouraging science and management: review and insight from Australia. Biological Conservaton 181: 133–149. htps://doi.org/10.1016/j. in that it promotes the conservaton of a threatened biocon.2014.11.008 species. Villagers have conserved this species, outside Hajra, P.K. (1988). Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipschitz Asteraceae, pp. of its natve range, as a cash crop for about a century 69–70. In: Nayar, M.P. & A.R.K. Sastry (eds.). Red Data Book of Indian Plants Volume 2. Botanical Survey of India, Howrah, 273pp. with rather litle reward in return. Cultvaton of Harvey, C.A., O. Komar, R. Chazdon, B.G. Ferguson, B. Finegan, Costus has secured its place in traditonal agriculture D.M. Grifth, M. Martnez-Ramos, R. Nigh, L. Soto-Pinto, M V. in the study area and capacity building of farmers for Breugel & M. Wishne (2008). Integratng agricultural landscapes with biodiversity conservaton in a Mesoamerican hotspot. beter agricultural practces, as well as developing and Conservaton Biology 22(1): 8–15. htps://doi.org/10.111/j.1523- teaching techniques for value additon, would produce 1739.2007.00863.x

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Heinen, J.T., P.B. Yonzon & B. Leisure (1995). Fightng the illegal fur Madhuri, K., K. Elango & S. Ponnusankar (2011). Saussurea lappa trade in Kathmandu, Nepal. Conservaton Biology 9(2): 245–247. (Kuth root): review of its traditonal uses, phytochemistry and Heinen, J.T., E. Shukurov & C. Sadykova (2001). Legislatve and policy pharmacology. Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicines initatves in biodiversity conservaton in Kyrgyzstan. Post-Soviet 12(1): 1–9. htps://doi.org/10.1007/s13596-011-0043-1 Geography and Economics 42(7): 519–543. htps://doi.org/10.108 Okereke, C. & T.G. Ehresman (2015). Internatonal environmental 0/10889388.2001.10641185 justce and quest for green global economy: introducton to special Heinen, J.T. & D. Chapagain (2002). The expansion of species protecton issue. Internatonal Environment Agreements: Politcs, Law and in Nepal: Advances and pitalls in new eforts to implement and Economics 15: 5–11. htps://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-014-9264-3 comply with CITES. 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Haridasan (2015). Saussurea through multple shoot cultures. In Vitro Cellular and Molecular costus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: Biology – Plant 33(2): 128–130. e.T50126641A50131430. Downloaded on 25 October 2018. htps:// Kala, C.P. (2005). Indigenous uses, populaton density and conservaton doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK. 2015-2.RLTS.T50126641A50131430.en. of threatened medicinal plants in protected areas of the Indian Shrestha-Acharya, R. & J.T. Heinen (2006). Emerging policy issues on Himalayas. Conservaton Biology 19(2): 368–378. htps://doi. non-tmber forest products in Nepal. Himalaya 26(1–2): 51–54. org/10.111/j.1523-1739.2005.00602.x Shrivastava, R.J. & J.T. Heinen (2005). Migraton and home gardens in Kuniyal, C.P., Y.S. Rawat, O.S. Singh, J.C. Kuniyal & S.C.R. Vishvakarma the Brahmaputra Valley, India. Journal of Ecological Anthropology 9: (2005). Kuth (Saussurea lappa) cultvaton in the cold desert 20–34. htps://doi.org/10.1177/1070496507301064 environment of Lahaul Valley: arising threats and need to revive Smith-Hall, C., H.O. Larsen & M. Pouliot (2012). People, plants and socio-economic values. Biodiversity and Conservaton 14: 1035– health: a conceptual framework for assessing changes in medicinal 1045. plant consumpton. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicines Kuniyal, C.P. & R.C. Sundriyal (2013). Conservaton salvage of 8(43): 1–11. htps://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-8-43. Cordyceps sinensis collecton in the Himalayan Mountains is TRAFFIC (2011). A Review of the Status of Saussurea costus (Falc.) neglected. Ecosystem Service 3: e40–e43. htps://doi.org/10.1016/j. Lipsch. in India and the Impact of its listng in CITES Appendix I A ecoser.2012.12.004 study by TRAFFIC India. Accessed on 03 November 2014. Retrieved Kuniyal, C.P., P.C. Kuniyal, J.S. Butola & R.C. Sundriyal (2013). from htps://cites.org/common/com/pc/19/E19i-07.pdf Trends in the marketng of some important medicinal plants in TRAFFIC (2013). Overview of important internatonal seizures of Utarakhand, India. Internatonal Journal of Biodiversity Science, CITES-listed specimens in the European Union January to December Ecosystem Services and Management 9(4): 324–329. htps://doi. 2012 Compiled by TRAFFIC April 2013. Accessed on 28 October org/10.1080/215 13732.2013.819531 2014. Retrieved from htp://ec.europa.eu/environment/cites/pdf/ Kuniyal, C.P., D.S. Rawat & R.C. Sundriyal (2015). Cultvaton of Overview%20signifcant%20seizures. pdf Saussurea costus cannot be treated as ‘artfcially propagated’. USDA (2018). Agricultural Research Service, Natonal Plant Germplasm Current Science 108(9): 1587–1589. System. 2018. Germplasm Resources Informaton Network (GRIN- Kuniyal, C.P. & B.S. Negi (2016). Export of cultvated Picrorhiza kurrooa Taxonomy). Natonal Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, is proftable but requires rigour. Current Science 111(11): 1738. Maryland. htps://npgswebars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomy Kuniyal, C.P. & B.S. Negi (2018). Cultvaton of the Himalayan detail.aspx?id=319258. Accessed 25 October 2018. seasoning Allium in a remote village of Utarakhand, India. Journal of Walter, K.S. & H.J. Gillet (eds.) (1998). 1997 IUCN Redlist of Threatened Taxa 10(11): 12614–12617. htps://doi.org/10.11609/ Threatened Plants (Saussurea costus p. 190). Compiled by the World jot.3807.10.11.12614-12617 Conservaton Monitoring Centre. IUCN - The World Conservaton Lambooy, T. & Y. Levashova (2011). Opportunites and challenges for Union, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, ixiv+862pp. private sector entrepreneurship and investment in biodiversity, wccb.org. Applicaton for issue of documentaton regarding export/ ecosystem services and nature conservaton. Internatonal Journal import/re-export of CITES listed fauna and fora. Retrieved of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 7(4): from htp://wccb.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfles/fle/Cites%20 301–318. htps://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2011.629632 Applicaton%20Form.pdf Larsen, H.O. & C.S. Olsen (2007). Unsustainable collecton and unfair WPA (1972). The Wildlife (Protecton) Act, 1972, (No. 53 of 1972), trade, uncovering and assessing assumpton regarding plants (9th September, 1972). Accessed on 28 October 2014. Retrieved conservaton. Biodiversity and Conservaton 16: 1679–1697. htps:// from htp://nbaindia.org/uploaded/Biodiversityindia/Legal/15.%20 doi.org/10.1007/s10531-006-9039-4 Wildlife%20(Protecton)%20Act,%201972.pdf Liu, H., Y.B. Luo, J.T. Heinen, M. Bhat & Z.J. Liu (2014). Eat your orchid Zahara, K., S. Tabassum, S. Sabir, M. Arshad, R. Qureshi, M.S. Amjad and have it too: A potentally new conservaton formula for Chinese & S.K. Chaudhari (2014). A review of therapeutc potental of epiphytc medicinal orchids. 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14752 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2019 | 11(13): 14745–14752

PLATINUM The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. OPEN ACCESS All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton.

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

October 2019 | Vol. 11 | No. 13 | Pages: 14631–14786 Date of Publicaton: 26 October 2019 (Online & Print) www.threatenedtaxa.org DOI: 10.11609/jot.2019.11.13.14631-14786

Communicatons Short Communicatons

Camera trap survey of mammals in Cleopatra’s Needle Critcal Habitat in A frst photographic record of a Yellow-bellied Weasel Mustela kathiah Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines Hodgson, 1835 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Mustelidae) from western Nepal – Paris N. Marler, Solomon Calago, Mélanie Ragon & – Badri Baral, Anju Pokharel, Dipak Raj Basnet, Ganesh Bahadur Magar & Lyca Sandrea G. Castro, Pp. 14631–14642 Karan Bahadur Shah, Pp. 14753–14756

Habitat suitability modeling of Asian Elephant Elephas maximus Mammal diversity in a montane forest in central Bhutan (Mammalia: Proboscidea: Elephantdae) in Parsa Natonal Park, Nepal – Tashi Dhendup, Kinga Thinley & Ugyen Tenzin, Pp. 14757–14763 and its bufer zone – Puja Sharma, Hari Adhikari, Shankar Tripathi, Ashok Kumar Ram & Rajeev Bhatarai, Pp. 14643–14654 Notes

Current populaton status of the endangered Hog Deer Axis porcinus First record of Oter Civet Cynogale benneti (Mammalia: Carnivora: (Mammalia: Cetartodactyla: Cervidae) in the Terai grasslands: a study Viverridae) kept as a pet in Indonesia, representng a possible new following politcal unrest in Manas Natonal Park, India ­ threat to the species – Alolika Sinha, Bibhut Prasad Lahkar & Syed Ainul Hussain, Pp. 14655– – Jamie Francis Bernard Bouhuys, Pp. 14764–14766 14662 An observaton of the White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster A food spectrum analysis of three bufonid species (Anura: Bufonidae) preying on Saltwater Crocodile hatchlings Crocodylus porosus in from Utarakhand region of the western Himalaya, India Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, India – Vivekanand Bahuguna, Ashish Kumar Chowdhary, Shurveer Singh, – Nimain Charan Palei, Bhakta Padarbinda Rath & Bimal Prasanna Gaurav Bhat, Siddhant Bhardwaj, Nikita Lohani & Satyanand Bahuguna, Acharya, Pp. 14767–14769 Pp. 14663–14671 Elusive, rare and sof: a new site record of Leith’s Sofshell Turtle Moultng patern and mortality during the fnal emergence of the Nilssonia leithii (Reptlia: Testudines: Trionychidae) from Coromandel Marsh Dart Damselfy Ceriagrion coromandelianum Bhadra Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) in central India – H.S. Sathya Chandra Sagar, M. Mrunmayee, I.N. Chethan, – Nilesh R. Thaokar, Payal R. Verma & Raymond J. Andrew, Pp. 14672– Manish Kumar & D.V. Girish, Pp. 14770–14772 14680 A new distributon record of the Pentagonal Sea Urchin Crab Diversity of parasitc Hymenoptera in three rice-growing tracts of Echinoecus pentagonus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1879) (Decapoda: Tamil Nadu, India Brachyura: Pilumnidae) from the Andaman Islands, India – Johnson Alfred Daniel & Kunchithapatham Ramaraju, Pp. 14681–14690 – Balakrishna Meher & Ganesh Thiruchitrambalam, Pp. 14773–14776

Mapping octocoral (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) research in Asia, with First records of the ghost moth genus Palpifer Hampson, [1893] partcular reference to the Indian subcontnent: trends, challenges, and (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) from the Indian subcontnent south of the opportunites Himalaya – Ghosh Ramvilas, Kannan Shalu, Rajeev Raghavan & Kuty Ranjeet, – Siyad A. Karim & John R. Grehan, Pp. 14777–14779 Pp. 14691–14721 First record of longhorn beetle Calothyrza margaritfera (Cerambycidae: SEM study of planktonic chlorophytes from the aquatc habitat of the Lamiinae: Phrynetni) from western India Indian Sundarbans and their conservaton status – Vishwas Deshpande & Hemant V. Ghate, Pp. 14780–14783 – Gour Gopal Satpat & Ruma Pal, Pp. 14722–14744 Extended distributon of Ceropegia mahabalei Hemadri & Ansari Is cultvaton of Saussurea costus (Asterales: Asteraceae) sustaining its (Apocynaceae) to the state of Gujarat, India conservaton? – Mukta Rajaram Bhamare, Hemantkumar Atmaram Thakur & – Chandra Prakash Kuniyal, Joel Thomas Heinen, Bir Singh Negi & Sharad Suresh Kambale, Pp. 14784–14786 Jagdish Chandra Kaim, Pp. 14745–14752 Publisher & Host

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