Background and Aims: The Mountains of the Western Ghats are the second most important shelter in the world for threatened species. The current paper is an attempt to study the conservation assessment of rare, endangered and threatened species (RET) of the southern Western Ghats. A species is endangered when it is threatened with extinction. Since time began, countless species have gone extinct from natural processes. The present study was conducted to identify the rare, endangered and threatened climbing plants in Southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. Methods: The plant collection and identification of the RET listed climbing species of the Southern Western Ghats was done during 2011-2014. The collection and identified RET plant species from the study were selected from different hills (forest) of Tamil Nadu. During the work the selected study sites were visited, plant specimens were collected and systematically pressed, stored for identification. Key results: A total number of 285 climber species comprising 125 genera of 41 families were identified from Southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu. Out of 285, 33 species are listed as RET species like Ceropegia mannarana Umam. & Daniel and Gloriosa superba L. fond to be Endangered species and Celastrus paniculata Willd., Aganosma cymosa G.Don. Smilax wightii A. DC., Corallocarpus gracilipes Cong., are rare species. The most specious families include Asclepiadaceae (7 species), Convolvulaceae (5-species) followed by, Fabaceae (4-species), Cucurbitaceae and Liliaceae each 3-species, and all the other remaining families having two or one species each. Conclusion: Some of the threatened factors such as over-exploitation of natural resources and other anthropogenic activities adversely affect the existing ecosystem and it may lead to the rarity of many species in future. There is an urgent need for developing pragmatic conservation strategies for endemic plants in the southern Western Ghats, which may lead to their effective protection.

A total of 335 vascular plant species represented by 222 genera belonging to 67 different families were recorded, of which only one species was represented by gymnosperms. The Poaceae, Fabaceae, Mimosaceae, Caesalpiniaceae and Amaranthaceae were the dominant families of the vascular floristic composition of the study region. The occurrence of invasive alien species is detrimental as they have started invading the campus flora. Though the exotic species should be allowed to grow, introducing and adding new species should be avoided in the campus as they are affecting the survival of the native plant diversity.

The ethno-botanical documentation among ethnic people in Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, India has been investigated for the first time. A total of 61 medicinal plants having new combination uses were reported with adjuvant in the treatment of dermatological, Genitourinary and gastrointestinal ailments. This study could help in the recovery and conservation of traditional medicine system among educated generation. The present study was aimed to: (1) documentation of the traditional knowledge (2) quantitative analysis using Use value (UV), Informant consensus factor (ICF), Index of agreement on remedies (IAR), Relative frequency citation (RFC) and Cultural Importance index (CII) (3) validation of ethno-botanical data using in silico biological activity and toxicity prediction studies. Semi-structured direct interviews were conducted to acquire information from the study area tribes. Total of 89 tribes including both gender among various communities were interviewed and their ethno-botanical knowledge was documented. The data were assessed using ethno-botanical indices methods to estimate the consistency of usage herbal knowledge in various ailments. A total of 61 species were recorded for treatment of categorized ailments. The collected medicinal information from ethnic groups shows remarkable new usage of medicinal plants to particular ailments. Our comparative in silico studies also supported the traditional medicine results with correspondence to their bioactive. Traditional knowledge of ethnic people also linked to their culture and history. This study also infers the usage of traditional plant based medicine. Further research related to the bioactivities of reported plants should be encouraged to explore the importance in pharmaceutical industry.

No abstract