The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to start planting Seabuckthorn in the cold desert areas.

What is Seabuckthorn?

• It’s a shrub that produces an orange-yellow coloured edible berry.
• In India, it is found above the tree line in the Himalayan region, generally in dry areas such as the cold deserts of Ladakh and Spiti.
• In Himachal Pradesh, it is locally called Himalayan chharma and grows in the wild in Lahaul and Spiti and parts of Kinnaur.
• According to the Seabuckthorn Association of India, around 15,000 hectares in Himachal, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are covered by this plant.

Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

Q.Recently, there was a growing awareness in our country about the importance of Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) because it is found to be a sustainable source of

(a) anti-malarial drug

(b) biodiesel

(c) pulp for paper industry

(d) textile fibre

Benefits of the Seabuckthorn plant

(1) Medicinal benefits

• As a folk medicine, Seabuckthorn has been widely used for treating stomach, heart and skin problems.
• In the last few decades, scientific research worldwide has backed many of its traditional uses.
• Its fruit and leaves are rich in vitamins, carotenoids and omega fatty acids, among other substances, and it can help troops in acclimatizing to high-altitude.

(2) Ecological benefits

• Besides being an important source of fuelwood and fodder, Seabuckthorn is a soil-binding plant that prevents soil-erosion, checks siltation in rivers and helps preserve floral biodiversity.
• In the Lahaul valley, where willow trees are dying in large numbers due to pest attack, this hardy shrub is a good alternative for protecting the local ecology.

(3) Commercial benefits

• Seabuckthorn also has commercial value, as it is used in making juices, jams, nutritional capsules etc.
• But wild Seabuckthorn cannot sustainably supply raw material to the industry, and the plant needs to be cultivated on a large scale as is being done in China.

What is the latest project?

• The Seabuckthorn association wants the forest departments of various Himalayan states/UTs to plant Seabuckthorn on arid and marginal lands using compensatory afforestation or CAMPA funds.
• Recently, the union ministry of environment, forest and climate change asked these states to submit proposals for taking up such plantations.
• This is in the light of reduced water flow from Himalayan glaciers and their impact on ecology.

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