More About Ex-Situ Department

Ideally, the medicinal plant species should be conserved as evolving populations in nature. In the ex situ context it is difficult to maintain viable breeding populations in Parks because of the constraints of the size (6-30acres) of herbal parks. Thus, limited accessions of a few hundred species are conserved in each park. The advantage of this programme is that it is easy to supply plant material for propagation, for re-introduction, for agronomic improvement, for research and for education purposes from the network of medicinal parks.

The parks are spatially dispersed so as to represent distinct agro-climatic zones in Southern India.

By end of 2000 - 2001, each MPCP is in the process of becoming a regional resource center of learning wherein there is authentic and thorough documentation available of the natural and cultural heritage of the region relating to medicinal plants. It also serves as a training center for rural households, for schools and colleges and for government departments on the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants, particularly in the context of primary health care.

As of March 2001, all the centers have planted an average of 250 species of medicinal plants, including RET species in their respective Ethno-Medicinal gardens.