Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A two-day national workshop on Urban Forest, Nursery Management and Conservation of Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) Plant Species, sponsored by the Biodiversity Board, concluded with a field study at Ralamandal Sanctuary.
The workshop was organised by the Horticulture and Microbiology Departments of Government Holkar (Model Autonomous) Science College in collaboration with Vigyan Bharti.
On the second day, participants visited Ralamandal Sanctuary for a practical study of biodiversity in its natural habitat. Guided by workshop coordinator Dr Sanjay Vyas, along with range officer SK Billore and Dr Shrivastava, participants trekked to the hilltop despite challenging weather conditions. During the visit, they observed various native and medicinal plant species and gained insights into forest ecology and biodiversity conservation practices. The workshop concluded with the distribution of certificates to all participants.
Tribal healers from different regions of Madhya Pradesh were a major highlight of the programme. They were honoured by the World Book of Records, London, for their ethnomedicinal knowledge, and a research publication based on their traditional medicinal practices was also released during the event.
MPPSC chairman Dr Rajesh Lal Mehra attended as the chief guest, while Devi Ahilya University vice-chancellor prof Rakesh Singhai presided over the programme. Special guests included Dr Vinod Bhandari, founder chairman of SAIMS, and Santosh Shukla, CEO of World Book of Records, London.
Experts including retired PCCF Dr PC Dubey, former principal chief commissioner of Income Tax Patanjali Jha and SK Billore shared insights on medicinal plants and biodiversity conservation. Jha highlighted the medicinal importance of plants such as black turmeric and their potential role in treating serious diseases.
