Therapeutic use of plants by local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary: implications for protected area management in Bangladesh

Abstract

Traditional systems of medicine have become a topic of global importance recently. Increased commercialization of economically important medicinal plants has resulted in overharvesting and threatening their survival. The present study was carried out to document the indigenous uses of medicinal plants by the local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh. Data collection was predominantly qualitative recording the species use, identifying their relative importance (RI) and assessing the informants' consensus factor (F ic ) on associated knowledge. We interviewed 140 households of the local community and 5 local herbal practitioners. A total of 44 plant species were in use against 33 ailments under 10 broad disease categories. Five species were found to have high use versatility (RI>1), Emblica officinale L. being the most versatile. Respiratory problems scored the highest F ic value (0.56) involving the use of 30% species recorded. Terminalia bellerica Roxb., Sterculia villosa Roxb., Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. and Terminalia arjuna Bedd. were being harvested commercially. Use by the community, particularly for subsistence consumption ensured sustainable harvesting, but commercial extraction of some species appeared unsustainable. Buffer zone-based commercial farming of medicinal plants with a commercial value could serve a dual purpose of assuring sustainable Alternative Income Generation (AIG) for local communities and conserving the natural resources in protected areas.

A Study on Exploration of Ethnobotanical Knowledge of Rural Community in Bangladesh: Basis for Biodiversity Conservation

“…plants, trees were the most frequent growth form (37.78%), followed by herbs (24.44%), shrubs (22.22%), vine (8.89%), and palms (6.67%). A similar trend was also observed that trees were the most used growth form of medicinal plants in Bangladesh [2,9,[31][32][33][34][35][36], but with a few exceptions [12,37] where they found that herbs were mainly used as medicinal plants.…”

Patterns and extent of threats to the protected areas of Bangladesh: the need for a relook at conservation strategies

“…In Bangladesh's protected areas, many aspects of forest resource utilization have been identified as responsible for their degradation (Chowdhury & Koike, 2010a), posing serious threats to the biological diversity. Of the 10 threats identified in this study, five (illegal tree cutting, harvesting NTFPs, forestland grabbing for real estate business, wildlife poaching, and environmentally non-friendly tourism) were directly or indirectly related to resource utilization.…”

Assessing medicinal plants as the linkage between healthcare, livelihood and biodiversity: a case study from native villages surrounding a second-tier city in the central Peruvian Amazon

“…How NWFPs support livelihood is not yet known because the factors and the extent to which people depend on the forest are not yet understood (Lawrence et al 2005). The commercialization of medicinal plants, which could be a source of income, may lead to over-harvesting (Chowdhury and Koike 2010, Kala et al 2004, Kala 2005, Hersch-Martínez 1995, van Andel and Havinga 2008, Vodouhe et al 2008. There is growing concern about biodiversity and loss of medicinal plant species, of which 8% are under threat worldwide (Walter and Gillett, 1998).…”