National Register of Medicinal Plants

Biological resources play a crucial role worldwide in national development.  This will be specially important in coming years due to recent development in biotechnology such as genetic engineering.  Therefore, biological resources existing in Nepal should be managed and used as a national property.  We should be proud that although Nepal covers not more than 0.1 percent of the world's area, it supports much higher proportion of earth's biological diversity.  For example, Nepal houses more than 2 percent of the flowering plants.  Most of the rural population in Nepal depend on these biological resources for their livelihood.  These resources are used as firewood, fodder, food and medicine.  Medicinal plants found in Nepal are very important for curing diseases in remote areas where modern health facilities do not exist.  Moreover, for people who live in high altitude mountains, medicinal plants are the only source of employment and income.  Hence, development of medicinal and aromatic plants possesses a big potential in poverty alleviation.  His Majesty's Government of Nepal has already realized this fact and initiated medicinal and aromatic plant based income generation program.  Conserving these biological resources is very important, because wise use of these resources can generate much higher level of employment and income than what we are getting today.  The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) requires each country to document the biological resources available in the country. Documentation of biological resources is further necessary in order to safeguard our interest as per the provision of Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIP) rights.  Preparation of this National Register of Medicinal Plants will go a long way in protecting our rights on our biological resources in international level….. This volume of Nepal Register of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAP) is being prepared to assist His Majesty's Government of Nepal to establish property rights over biological resources.  MAP is being considered as an important component of biodiversity that need priority action for conservation measures and offer the greatest potential for sustainable use, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits.