Establishing in situ gene bank of Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth ex Kurtz in Western Nepal with a focus on conservation and sustainability

Abstract

Rauvolfia serpentina is a cosmopolitan in tropical habitats with more concentration in the tropics of Africa, Asia and America. Higher diversity has been recorded from the Indian Sub-continent region, especially around the gangetic plain areas. In Nepal, its distribution stretches from East to West up to an altitude of 900 m asl. Genetic resources are currently facing tremendous threats due to increased anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, habitat alteration and unsustainable harvesting for trade. A forest gene bank concept in which large range of gene sources is purposely put together is adapted to conserve genetic resources of the Rauvolfia serpentina plant. To enrich our knowledge regarding the natural habitat of the species, literature review, visit to the herbarium centre and field visits were preformed. All accumulated data was subjected to DIVA GIS to plot a predictive map of the plant habitat based on climate and altitude. The map depicts western Terai to be a safe zone for this species. Sinks and source area for the gene conservation concept revealed Bishnupur (Bardiya District) and Vajni (Kailali District) sites to be the sink areas, while other 34 sites as the source areas.

Checklist of floral species at the Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Pokhara, Nepal

“…Out of the 154 CITES-listed plant species of Nepal (Joshi et al 2017), four species (Dalbergia latifolia, Dalbergia sissoo, Euphorbia royleana and Rauvolfia serpentina) which are listed in Appendix-II of CITES were found in the study area. These species are facing higher risk of extinction due to overharvesting throughout the world (Dwianto et al 2019;Kunwar 2019;Abdullah and Rafay 2021). Hence, to protect their illegal trade and save them from extinction, these species are listed under CITES-II.…”

PENGARUH KINETIN DAN NAA TERHADAP INDUKSI KALUS PULE PANDAK (Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz)

“…CITES telah menyatakan bahwa R. serpentina termasuk dalam Appendix II yang berarti tumbuhan tersebut tidak terancam punah namun bila terus diperdagangkan tanpa kontrol akan mengalami kepunahan (CITES, 2019). Sementara itu menurut IUCN tumbuhan ini telah masuk ke dalam status terancam punah (Kunwar, 2019). Menurut Sulandjari (2008) pule pandak dinyatakan mulai berkurang karena pengambilannya secara langsung dari habitat tanpa memperhatikan daya regenerasinya.…”