LAUSR

Abstract The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is considered as a rich repository of the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs), and has diverse traditional and modern base of therapeutic knowledge. Inhabitants of the region are traditionally well familiar with the healing properties of the available plants and therefore, dependency on medicinal plants for primary healthcare forms integral part of their life. Besides, modern pharmaceutical industries are also relying upon medicinal plants for developing new drugs or searching novel biomolecules. However, over-harvesting and habitat loss of MAPs has reduced its population in the wild, and threatened the sustainability of a number of species in IHR. This calls for an urgent attention and requires selection of suitable criteria and indicators towards encouraging long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the MAP sector. In this context, this study focuses on identifying four major sustainability parameters; i.e. economic, environmental/ecological, socio-cultural and governance, with 11 criteria and 48 indicators. The criteria and indicators approach is expected to be useful in assessing the impacts and monitoring the developmental initiatives in the MAP sector. Further, the study also prioritized potential MAP species for linking cultivation and conservation with livelihood opportunity in Western Himalaya. A total of 152 potential MAP species were identified based on medicinal value, market demand, availability and uses in traditional herbal system. Of these, 43 potential MAPs have been prioritized for cultivation and conservation in Western Himalaya. In addition, distribution and diversity of threatened MAPs of IHR has been documented and presented in a manner to develop strategies for sustainability of the sector at state and national levels.