Abstract

STUDY ON THREATENED FLORA OF ACHANAKMAR TIGER RESERVE OF CHHATTISGARH

Manna De*

Abstract

An endangered species is a population of organisms, at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or by predation. An endangered species is a species which has been categorized as likely to become extinct. Extinction is the situation when there are no longer any living individuals of a species left. The Achanakmar Tiger Reserve is a biosphere reserve in India that extends across the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The natural vegetation in the Achanakmar Tiger Reserve varies across the reserve. During the investigation it has been revealed that the forest of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve is very rich in term of plant diversity. As per the floral documentation of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, 28 species are found under various categories of threats. According to IUCN Red Data List, the species have been categorized as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU). The Biosphere Reserve has 1 Critically Endangered, 5 Endangered and 22 Vulnerable plant species. Threatened plant species reported like, Hansraj (Adiantum capillus veneris), Climbing fern (Lygodium flexuosum), Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata), Tejraj (Peucedanum nagpurense), Sarpgandha (Rauvolfia serpentine) (CR), Gurmar (Gymnema sylvestre), Indian trumpet flower (Oroxylum indicum), etc. for the conservation of these plants the ex situ method was applied and the genetic material is conserved in herbal garden of Dr. C.V.Raman University, Kota Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.

Keywords: Kota, Bilaspur, Endangered, Threatened, Extinct, Chhattisgarh.