Hue and Cry for Fritillaria Cirrhosa D.Don, A Threatened Medicinal Plant in the Western Himalaya

The unique Himalayan ecosystems have given rise to highly adapted organisms and are repositories to the wild populations of diverse flora and fauna. The high value medicinal and aromatic plant species are an example of the same. Since time immemorial, these plants have been traditionally used by the local inhabitants and have eventually developed a high market value all over the world. Increasing market demand engenders over-extraction of species, unsustainable collection further catalyses decline in wild populations. The current communication raises high conservation concern on the rapid population decline of Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don in the Western Himalaya. Harvested and traded with a new trade name i.e., ‘Jangli lehsun’ probably to disguise common Allium species, the species is facing tremendous decline in wild populations due to its illegal harvesting and trade in Himachal Pradesh. Further, Fritillaria cirrhosa faces threat due to unorganized, over-extraction or unsustainable and premature harvesting of the bulbs, coupled with illegal and hidden markets functioning parallelly. To ensure the long-term conservation of Fritillaria cirrhosa, prioritised conservation strategies such as strengthening of the Biodiversity Management Committees, in-situ conservation through identification of medicinal plant conservation areas, capacity building through awareness programs for the key stakeholders and sustainable harvesting would be the practical solution.