Relevance: GS III (Environment & Biodiversity) | Source: PIB / UNEP

1. Context

Every year on March 3, the world celebrates World Wildlife Day to remember the birth of CITES (a global treaty that protects endangered plants and animals).

• The 2026 Theme: This year, the focus is entirely on plants: “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods.”
• Why Plants? While we usually think of tigers or elephants on this day, plants are the silent heroes of our health. In developing nations, nearly 70% to 95% of people still rely on traditional plant-based medicines for their daily healthcare.

2. India’s “Green Wealth” 

India is one of the world’s 17 mega-biodiversity countries, making us incredibly rich in natural medicines.

• The Numbers: India has around 15,000 medicinal plant species. Out of these, nearly 8,000 are actively used in traditional systems like Ayurveda.
• The Hotspots: A massive 70% of these healing plants are found in just three main areas: the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, and the Aravalli range.

3. How Does India Protect These Plants?

To stop these valuable plants from disappearing, India uses two main scientific methods:

• In-Situ Conservation (In their “Natural Home”): This means protecting the plants exactly where they grow naturally in the forests. The government does this by creating National Parks, Biosphere Reserves, and special Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas.
• Ex-Situ Conservation (In a “Safety Lab”): If a plant cannot survive in the wild, scientists bring it to a safe place like a Botanical Garden, a Seed Bank, or a DNA Bank.

(For example, the National Seed Gene Bank in New Delhi safely stores over 9,300 medicinal plant samples).

4. Key Government Steps

• National Medicinal Plants Board: Created in the year 2000 under the Ministry of Ayush, this is the main “brain” that makes all policies to grow and protect healing herbs in India.
• e-CHARAK: A brilliant digital marketplace (website and mobile app) where farmers can sell their medicinal herbs directly to buyers, completely removing the greedy middlemen.

5. The Power of GI Tags (Protecting Herbs & Heritage)

A Geographical Indication (GI) tag is like a special “brand name” given to a product that belongs strictly to one specific region. It protects our traditional knowledge from being stolen.

Medicinal Plant / Product	State	Health Use (Ayurveda)
Navara Rice	Kerala	Used to treat rheumatic pain and improve blood circulation.
Saffron (Kumkuma)	Jammu & Kashmir	Famous for skin healing and treating migraines.
Nagauri Ashwagandha	Rajasthan	Known for reducing stress (Registered in Nov 2025).
Ganjam Kewda Flower	Odisha	Traditionally used for eye and respiratory problems.

UPSC Value Box

Important Concept	Simple Meaning for Exam
CITES	The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. It is a global agreement between governments to ensure that buying and selling wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
In-Situ vs Ex-Situ	In-Situ = Protecting nature inside its original home (like a forest). Ex-Situ = Protecting nature outside its original home (like a zoo or a seed bank).

With reference to the conservation of medicinal plants in India, consider the following statements:

1. The National Medicinal Plants Board operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
2. Preserving plant seeds in the National Seed Gene Bank is an example of ex-situ conservation.
3. World Wildlife Day is celebrated globally to mark the adoption of the CITES agreement.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (b)