Nepal is a small country between two large countries India and China. It is ecologically divided into 3 regions Himalyan ,hilly and Terai. Based on climatic conditions, it is divided into 5 regions;Tropical,subtropical,warm temperate,cold temperate and alpine. It is a hub of micro-climatic condition and hotspot of biodiversity.There is not ample literatures cited about the statistical information in medicinal and aromatic plants of Nepal.Medicinal and aromatic plant resources database of Nepal(MAPDON) has estimated about 1600 medicinal plants in Nepal. About 65.6 % people are involved in agriculture(MOAD 2014) and attribute of Medicinal and aromatic plants in GDP is about 5 % .There is heterogeneity in distribution of medicinal and aromatic plants in Nepal but, most of them are concentrated in a Himalayan region. The main source of livelihood for many rustic area of Himalyan region is through the marketing of medicinal and aromatic plants.The craze for medicinal and aromatic plant resources marketing is increasing day by day through out the Nepal.The MAPs have enormous potential in todays world as they are rich in essential oils,alkaloids,resins,gums and many more constituents which can be functioned for developing a new medicine for remedy of enormous disease either through application of new biotechnology technique or genetic engineering technique.But, globally it has invited to a wrecked situation called biopiracy .
Biopiracy tends to occur when an individual,groups or researcher uses plants of certain country, especially developing country to exploit it for some new novelty in medicines, drugs and agriculture without official permission from concerned authorites,the community from which that plant is derived and where the indigenous technological knowledge(ITK) exists.The compensation is either not given or it is nominal to that community.Then,researchers are provided with patent that replication of that novelty is not possible without permission upto certain years.Biopiracy is sparked issue nowadays due to tainted competition among the countries for innovation or novelty.The most susceptible to this illegal act is developing country like Nepal.There are clear evidences of biopiracy in our neighbouring country like India.The U.S seed producer company Monsanto was accused of biopiracy when some Indian reported that it used their indigenous brinjal and through gene modification produced Bt. brinjal without any official permission to the authority or community.The case of turmeric for healing wound also hit the media in India for biopiracy.
Our country has enormous medicinal and aromatic plants .Many are not studied or undermined or in the verge of study nowadays.The Himalayan region has hub of MAPs like rhododendron,Yarsagumba,Panchaunle,Sarpagandha ,Lalupate ,Swertia,Silajit and so on.These all have multi medicinal benefits which is known to the indigenous people more than any outliers.Their harsh economic situation may lead distressed sale or transaction of such medicinal plants more than mentioned above for just a nominal compensation.When I was in a village two foreigners came and took the leaves of Custard apple (Sharifa) .Their intention was not known but, many such situations occur in different parts of Nepal.
Such biopiracy creates loss of biodiversity,loss of indigenous knowledge ,insecured economy.The country loses its uniqueness or biotechnological benefits
Which have the potential for ameliorating country’s economic status and creating novelty.Who cares ? The world is in a rush for innovation without respecting biodiversity of another country and seizing their moment biodiversity.
Our country’s lethargic government, lack of well defined policies and their promulgation,limitations in documentation and research regarding medicinal and aromatic plant resources may invite such biopiracy.
The government should make strict plans and policies regarding trade of medicinal and aromatic plants.The government should check the rampant marketing of these medicinal and aromatic plant resources.The research centre should maintain well documentation of MAPs found in Nepal and their further uses.The farmers should be made aware about the biopiracy and there should be organization checking for it.The compensation should be only after negotiation with farmers or concerned authority.This may ameliorate the existing harsh conditions in medicinal and aromatic plants resources.Biopiracy is not only concerned issue of medicinal and aromatic plant resources but ,also in case of animals,birds and reptiles too.Haphazardous harvesting of medicinal plants should be avoided so it should be done in a tactful way. Farmers must be made acquainted with the value addition of the medicinal plants.Medicinal plants which have low contribution to GDP but, bear high potential for reducing the economy contraction of a country.Thus,they should be commercialized based on the cardinal of climatic conditions found in different parts of country. Trading of such medicinal plants should be done according to well reviewed laws.The farmers indigenous knowledge should be conserved and applied in farmers field with modifications by technicians and these knowledges are farmer’s friendly.
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