International Researcher Volume No.1 Issue No. 4 December 2012 INTERNATIONALINTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS RESEARCHERS Threats to medicinal plant diversity in Soon Valley (Salt Range) of Punjab, Pakistan Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, Mumtaz Hussain, Abdul Rehman, Irfan Mustafa, Muhammad Farooq, Sehrish Jabeen and Sadia Zafer Volume No 1 Issue No.4 December 2012 WWW.IRESEARCHER.ORGwww.iresearcher.org ISSN 227-7471 156 Page = www.iresearcher.org International Researcher Volume No.1 Issue No. 4 December 2012 THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL “INTERNATIONAL RESEACHERS” www.iresearcher.org © 2012 (individual papers), the author(s) © 2012 (selection and editorial matter) This publication is subject to that author (s ) is (are) responsible for Plagiarism, the accuracy of citations, quotations, diagrams, tables and maps. All rights reserved. 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For permissions and other inquiries, please contact [email protected] INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS is peer-reviewed, supported by rigorous processes of criterion-referenced article ranking and qualitative commentary, ensuring that only intellectual work of the greatest substance and highest significance is published. 157 Page www.iresearcher.org International Researcher Volume No.1 Issue No. 4 December 2012 Threats to medicinal plant diversity in Soon Valley (Salt Range) of Punjab, Pakistan 1 2 3 4 5 6 Iftikhar Ahmad, Mumtaz Hussain, Abdul Rehman, Irfan Mustafa, Muhammad Farooq, Sehrish Jabeen and 7 Sadia Zafer 1,4,6,7 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Sargodha 2,3 Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 5 WWF, Soone valley, District Khushab (PAKISTAN) [email protected] Abstract It was an ethno botanical study in which threats to vegetation particularly medicinal plants and their uses in Soone Valley were identified by interviewing the residents and through personal observations. The survey showed that inhabitants of the valley are well aware of the fact that natural resources particularly medicinal plants of the valley are diminishing with alarming rate. Continuous cutting for various purposes particularly fuel and fodder, over grazing, less rain fall and lowering of water table are responsible for reduction in medicinal plants of the valley. Accidental fires by the herds’ men and illegal honey hunters, agricultural activities and harvesting of medicinal plants by uprooting are the main reason of lowering of medicinal plants. Lack of knowledge and interest relating medicinal plants, local doctors (Hakeems) and over harvesting of medicinal plants without taking care of its survival in future due to less knowledge of conservation also reduces their production. Almost all the respondents voted for gaining knowledge from the older and able peoples and transfer to next generations for protection of medicinal flora particularly endangered species by protecting them from grazing, fires and cutting. Respondents also suggested cultivation, research and analysis of medicinal plants as essential component for their improvement and development of confidence of common man. Key words: Threats, Soone Valley, medicinal plants, diversity, conservation. 1. Introduction The Earth's natural resources whether renewable or nonrenewable play a vital role in the human welfare. Since the early age, human have been engaged in exploring new resources but seem to use them in a sustainable way adopting some simple techniques like deferred gratification (Hunter, 1996). However, during the last fifty years, following industrialization and green revolution, the exploding human population has placed a cumbersome pressure on natural resources, particularly the plant diversity. The current era is facing considerable biological extinction due to a number of natural and anthropogenic activities including the clear-cutting of forests, conversion of grasslands into cultivated lands, industrialization, urbanization, overgrazing, soil erosion, desertification, etc. Similarly, overexploitation also poses a severe threat to biodiversity and has led to a number of species to extinction (Goel, 2002). The term Ethno Botany was coined by Harshberger in 1896 for the plants used by primitive and aboriginal people for the cure of a number of diseases (Plotkin, 1991). Now this term has been expanded and Ethno botany is considered to be a part of Economic Botany, which emphasizes on the economic utilization of plants for human 158 welfare (Heiser, 1993; Wickens, 2001). Page www.iresearcher.org International Researcher Volume No.1 Issue No. 4 December 2012 In the subcontinent, Herbal Medicine System referred to as Unani medicine was introduced by the Greco- Arabic society. It is based on many theories and remedies introduced by Ayurveda, a practice that started the utilization of medicinal plants as early as 2500 BC (Mahmood et al., 2004). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80% of the world’s population relies on traditional herbal medicine for their primary health care needs (Inglis, 1994). These traditional systems are culturally and psychologically more tolerable in most of the societies as compared to western allopathic medicines. In addition, being the natural plant products, they are considered to be the safest way of treating diseases with least side effects on human health as compared to allopathic or homeopathic medicines (Prescott-Allen and Prescott-Allen, 1982). The Soon Valley, present in the center of the Salt Range is regarded the heart of Salt Range and covering an area of 300 km2 with average elevation of 762 m and the highest point in the area is the Sakesar Top being 1522 m above sea level. It is 20 km in length and 5 km in breadth (Afzal et al., 1999). In recent years, the climate of the valley is characterized by a relatively low annual rainfall (20 inches) and average minimum temperature of 1 0C during January, while average maximum temperature is 36 0C during June. Hot dry winds and long periods of drought are frequent where as winters are accompanied by frost (Hussain, 2002). Currently, the dominant vegetation of this valley comprises of Adhatoda vasica, Achyranthus aspara, Acacia modesta, Acacia nilotica, Melilotus alba, Capparis decidua, Chenopodium album, Calotropis procera, Acacia farnesiana, Datura metel, Fumeria indica, Olea ferruginea, Peganum harmala and Zizyphus numularia (Ahmad et al., 2002; Hussain, 2002). These and many other such species are traditionally popular as curing agents and have been used by indigenous people. During the last quarter century, environmental and cultural changes, market-based economics and over harvesting of medicinal plant species have resulted in resource degradation, loss of biodiversity and the loss of indigenous and traditional medicinal knowledge (Sheng-Ji, 2001). Majority of the species are threatened by physical stresses and anthropogenic disturbances. The extensive uses are common threats to most of the plant species. They have narrow ecological amplitude and their unwise use has threatened their survival in the Salt Range (Ahmad et al., 2002). At present, there is little understanding for conservation or collection plan, and so this natural resource faces significant risk of depletion. Keeping in view all these facts, this ethnobotanical survey was planed to detect major uses and threats to medicinal plant diversity in Soone valley. 2. Material and Methods Valley was extensively surveyed and the available species were enlisted. Meetings were arranged with local herbalists (called hakims, who cure various diseases with plant extracts), older peoples having traditional plants knowledge, government officials from Department of Forestry and Agriculture and various non government organizations as SVDP (Soone Valley Development Project) to know about traditional uses of plants in the area. Meteorological data were recorded at Horticultural Research Station, Soon Valley for the entire study period. 2.1 Selection of sites On the basis of a preliminary survey six ecologically diverse study sites namely Khabeki, Khoora, Dape Sharif, Anga, Knotti Garden and Jallar were selected. These sites were selected mainly on the basis of differences in their environmental attributes especially variations in elevation, slope, aspect, altitude, topography, soil composition, habitat, vegetation type and plant community. Ecological data were recorded using quadrate sampling method. Fixed quadrates of 1 m2 for herbs and 5 m2 for shrubs and trees were used and all individual plants in the quadrates were counted. Randomly 15 quadrates were 159 Page www.iresearcher.org International Researcher Volume No.1 Issue No. 4 December 2012 taken at each site. Data recorded were used for the calculation of density and frequency of species (Ahmad et al., 2012). Total No. of individuals of a species in a quadrate Density (%) x100 Total No. of individuals of all species in a quadrate No. of quadrates in which a species occurred Frequency (%) x100 Total No. of quadrates taken Threats to biodiversity particularly medicinal plants were identified through following steps. 1. Through interviews of local residents particularly aged persons having traditional knowledge of plants. This was accomplished by developing questionnaire performa. 2. Discussion with government officials, public representatives, press reporters and NGO’s representatives.