Biodiversity and Indigenous Medicinal Knowledge of North-East India: Navigating Climate Change Impacts on Medicinal Plants for Conservation and Advancement -

Amie Chakma; Manikantan Pappuswamy; Aditi Chaudhary; Arun Meyyazhagan; A. Vijaya Anand; Balamuralikrishnan Balasubramanian

doi:10.14719/pst.2374

Authors

Amie Chakma Department of Life Sciences, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore-560029, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7991-4176
Manikantan Pappuswamy Department of Life Sciences, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore-560029, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6047-3702
Aditi Chaudhary Department of Life Sciences, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore-560029, India https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0433-5799
Arun Meyyazhagan Department of Life Sciences, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore-560029, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1934-3906
A. Vijaya Anand Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore-641046, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7485-1586
Balamuralikrishnan Balasubramanian Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Sejong University, Seoul-05006, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6938-1495

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2374

Keywords:

Medicinal plants, Climate change, Sustainability, Traditional medicine, Indigenous knowledge

Abstract

The northeastern region of India holds the sixth position among the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots, covering approximately 8% of the nation's total land area, which amounts to 262,060 square kilometers. Situated in the eastern Himalayas, any alterations in this biodiversity-rich area can have significant and far-reaching consequences. Indigenous tribes of this region believe in the remarkable healing properties of certain medicinal plants, and within its diverse population of around 225 communities, each tribal and sub-tribal group possesses distinct traditional knowledge. Capturing and harnessing this indigenous wisdom by scientists and researchers could unlock new avenues for progress, particularly within the pharmaceutical sector. Climate change stands as one of the paramount global environmental challenges. Predictions indicate that by the close of the 21st century, the Earth's average temperature might rise by anywhere between 0.3 to 4.8 °C, accompanied by a potential sea level increase of 26 to 82 cm. These climate shifts could have adverse effects on the abundance and accessibility of medicinal plants, potentially leading to species extinction. Moreover, the impact of climate change could extend beyond availability to also encompass alterations in the pharmacological properties of various plants, particularly those found in alpine environments. This discussion underscores the importance of existing knowledge, critical analyses, challenges, opportunities, and the immense value of medicinal plants. It emphasizes the intersection of changing climate and the vulnerability of medicinal plant resources, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of these effects in the context of the North Eastern region of India. To address these challenges, there is a pressing need for in-depth research on the geographical distribution of plant communities and strategies to enhance the secondary synthesis of critically endangered medicinal plants under the current climate change scenarios.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Sharma M, Das B. Medicinal Plants of North-East Region of India: a Small Review. International Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research Int J Curr Pharm. 2018;10(4):11. https://doi.org/10.22159/ijcpr.2018v10i4.28471

Barkat MA, Goyal A, Barkat HA, Salauddin M, Pottoo FH, Anwer ET. Herbal Medicine: Clinical Perspective and Regulatory Status. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen. 2021;24(10):1573-1582.

https://doi.org/10.2174/1386207323999201110192942

Devi R. A Review on the Plant Secondary Metabolites with Special Context with NE India. Int J Adv Appl Sci. 2021;10(3):245-250. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijaas.v10.i3

Applequist WL, Brinckmann JA, Cunningham AB, Hart RE, Heinrich M, Katerere DR, et al. Scientists warning on climate change and medicinal plants. Planta Med. 2020;86(1):10–8. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1113-1659

Zahan Y, Mahanta R, Rajesh PV, Goswami BN. Impact of climate change on North-East India (NEI) summer monsoon rainfall. Climatic Change. 2021;164(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-02994-5

Lairenjam C, Hodam S, Bandyopadhyay A, Bhadra A. Historical and temporal trends of climatic parameters in North East India. Global NEST Journal. 2017; 19(4), 547-561. https://doi.org/10.30955/gnj.002384

Vidyarthi S, Samant SS, Sharma P. Traditional and indigenous uses of medicinal plants by local residents in Himachal Pradesh, North Western Himalaya, India. Short Res Paper. 2013;9(3):185-200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2013.823113

Devi R, Sarma MP. A review on the plant secondary metabolites with special context with North East India. Int J Adv Appl Sci. 2021;10(3):245-250. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijaas.v10.i3.pp245-250

Devi A, Khan ML, Tripathi RS. Biodiversity conservation in sacred groves of Manipur, northeast India: population structure and regeneration status of woody species. In: Human Exploitation and Biodiversity Conservation; 2008. p. 9-116. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5283-5_7

Ahmed M., Atiqul Haq S., Indigenous people’s perceptions about climate change, forest resource management, and coping strategies: a comparative study in Bangladesh. Environ Dev Sustain. 2019;21(2):679–708. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-017-0055-1

Khumbongmayum AD, Khan ML, Tripathi RS. Sacred groves of Manipur, northeast India: biodiversity value, status and strategies for their conservation. Biodiversity and Conservation. 2005; 14:1541-1582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-0530-5

Bezner Kerr R, Hasegawa T, Lasco R, Bhatt I, Deryng D, Farrell A, Gurney-Smith H, Ju H, Lluch-Cota S, Meza F, Nelson G, Neufeldt H, Thornton P. Food, Fibre, and Other Ecosystem Products. In: Pörtner S, Roberts DC, Masson-Delmotte V, Zhai P, Tignor M, Poloczanska E, Mintenbeck K, Alegri?a A, Nicolai M, Okem A, Petzold J, Rama B, Weyer NM, Yu T, editors. Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; 2022. p. 758-760.

Sangomla, A. Climate Change in North East India. Down To Earth. 16-31 August, 2021.

Lok Sabha Secretariat. Impact of Climate Change on North Eastern States. December, 2022.

Sangomla, A. Climate crisis in North East India: Why are rainfall patterns changing. Down To Earth. September 7, 2021.

Sharma, D. C. Faced with climate change, Nagaland to revive traditional rice varieties. Down To Earth. December 13, 2017.

Zaman R (). 'Vulnerable' Arunachal Pradesh draws up roadmap to tackle climate change. The Times of India, 2021, August 19.

Das M, Jain V, Malhotra SK. Impact of climate change on medicinal and aromatic plants: Review. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2016; 86(11):1375-1382. https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v86i11.62865

Rathore P, Roy A, Karnatak H. Modelling the vulnerability of Taxus wallichiana to climate change scenarios in South East Asia. Ecological Indicators. 2019; 102:199-207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.02.020

Forest Survey of India. India State of Forest Report; 2021.

Gowthami R, Sharma N, Pandey R, Agrawal A. Status and consolidated list of threatened medicinal plants of India. Genet Resour Crop Evol. 2021; 68:2235-2263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-021-01199-0

Sarma K, Roy SJ, Kalita B, et al. Distribution mapping of five threatened medicinally important plant species of Arunachal Himalaya. Int J Plant Res; 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42535-023-00619-z

Pandey DK, Momin KC, Dubey SK, Adhiguru P. Biodiversity in agricultural and food systems of jhum landscape in the West Garo Hills, North-eastern India. Food Security. 2022;14(3):791–804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-021-01251-y

Chang JD, Mantri N, Sun B, Jiang L, Chen P, Jiang B, Jiang Z, Zhang J, Shen J, Lu H, Liang Z. Effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on Gynostemma pentaphyllum physiology and bioactive compounds. Journal of Plant Physiology. 2016-2017;196-197:41-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2016.02.020

Singh A, Agrawal M. Effects of ambient and elevated CO2 on growth, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidants, and secondary metabolites of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G Don. grown under three different soil N levels. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2015;22(5):3936–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3661-6

Bhardwaj V. Taxus wallichiana Zucc. (Himalayan Yew): A Medicinal Plant Exhibiting Antibacterial Properties. In: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Springer, Cham. 2023:1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2023_772

IPCC. Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Pörtner HO, Roberts DC, Tignor M, Poloczanska ES, Mintenbeck K, Alegría A, Craig M, Langsdorf S, Löschke S, Möller V, Okem A, Rama B, editors. Cambridge University Press; 2022.