Moot ends with calls to preserve medicinal plants

MINGORA: The three-day conference titled “Conservation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants for Improving the Livelihoods of Mountain Communities through Industrial Linkages” concluded here on Thursday.

The participants asked the government, academia and growers to join hands for the preservation of medicinal plants in the country.

On the last day of the three-day event, researchers and local growers of medicinal plants finalised their recommendations.

Recommendations were presented by Dr Shujaul Mulk, Dr Wajid Hussain, Dr Altaf Hussain and Ms Shazia.

In these recommendations, the participants urged both the government and society to take steps for the preservation of the valuable medicinal plants in the region, saying that awareness among people was needed to prevent the unnecessary and unscientific cutting of the medicinal and aromatic plants.

Dr Hassan Sher, Director, Plants Sciences and Biodiversity at the University of Swat, said there were 6,000 species of medicinal plants in Pakistan.

“Swat is a hub of medicinal plants where 2,200 species have been reported and documented,” he said and added that export of medicinal plants began in 1955 from Swat.

Addressing the concluding ceremony, University of Swat Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Jamal Khan said that medicinal plants were one of the neglected areas, adding that the university would establish links with all interest groups to jointly work for the promotion of medicinal plants in the district.

He said though medicines were now being produced scientifically in the world, the importance of the indigenous method of production has been recognised even in the western world.

University of Malakand Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Gul Zaman said owing to the importance of medicinal plants in the entire Malakand region, especially in Swat, his university would also hold an international conference on the same theme in next three months.