Question : Endangered Plant

(a) whether the Government has identified and documented endangered plant species;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c ) if not, the reasons therefor; and
(d) the steps taken to save precious plant species on our earth?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a) and (b) Yes Sir. Botanical Survey of India (BSI), a subordinate organisation of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has published three volumes of Red Data Book of Indian Plants, (Eds. Jain &Rao, 1984; Nayar&Sastry 1987 – 1990) and Red List of Threatened Vascular Plant Species in India (Rao et al. 2003), which provides information on 1236 species belonging to different threatened categories like Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, etc.

(c) Question does not arise.

(d) Botanical survey of India (BSI) is mandated for the survey, inventorying, taxonomic validation and threat assessment of the flora of the country. Government of India has established a countrywide protected area network which primarily covers habitats of threatened flora and fauna.

Specific areas are designated by the Ministry as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs), which are protected under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 (EPA).

The Ministry is also supporting a number of projects on conservation of some prioritised/threatened medicinal plants harboured in specially designated Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) that are primarily forested areas. The National
Afforestation & Eco development Board (NAEB), facilitates cultivation/ conservation of medicinal plants in degraded lands.

The Assistance to Botanic Gardens scheme of the Ministry is also mandated for conservation of endemic/ threatened plant species of the country; through this scheme the Ministry has supported many botanic gardens for conservation of threatened plants in various institutions.


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