Diversity and Conservation Strategies of Pharmaceutically important Medicinal plants of Bundelkhand region, India

Bundelkhand is located Central part of India with an unique type of climatic condition having stony sandy and rocky soil deficient in water. Gradual climatic change due to acute pressure on land for various developmental activities are regularly increasing the degradation of  biodiversity which is affecting the potential of medicinal plants and invite  needs for the conservation of biodiversity of medicinal plants in the region. During the course of various studies authors have identified the medicinal plants of high value, used in top medical prescriptions and traditional medical practices viz. Acacia catechu (Khadira), Asparagus racemosus (Shatawari), Boswellia serrata (Shalaki), Desmodium gangeticum(Shalaparni), Gymnema sylvestre.(Retz.) R. Br. ex Sm.( Gudmaar), Hemidesmus indicus R.Br.(Anantmoola),Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz, Pluchia lanceolata(Rasana),Tribulus terrestris (Gokshuru), Uraria picta (Prishniparni), Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Writia tinctoriaetc. Efforts are needed in acclimatizing the medicinal plants in the garden land, nurseries, development of strategy of protection of natural habitat of the medicinal plants of region, developing ago-technical protocols for cultivation of medicinal plants suitable for farmers to enrich their economy as well as biodiversity under Government control is need of the day ensuring effective conservation of these valuable medicinal resources of the country. Cultivation of Cymbopogon flexuosus (Pootika),Saccharum munja (Munja), and Chrysopogon zizanioides (Ushir) is also the need of time for enriching the biodiversity through conserving the medicinal plants. Keywords: Bundelkhand, Agro-geoclimatic conditions, Conservation, Pharmaceuticals, Secondary metabolites.