| Abstract: | India is one of the 17 countries designated as mega biodiversity centers among
the 196 countries of the world and geologically has elements of the Palearctic and Indo
Malayan Realm. Situated in Central India are the lofty hills and plateaus of Satpura
Ranges made up of multilayered sandstone dating from Permian to Cretaceous. Pachmarhi,
a UNESCO declared Biosphere Reserve covering an area of 4,98172 sq. km at an
elevation of 1100 meters above mean sea level, is located amidst these ranges, at 22° 11’ to
22°50’N and 77°47’ to 78°52’ E meridian. Pachmarhi is endowed with moderate tropical
summer and up to 1200 mm rainfall which foster dense forest. The medicinal plants of
Pachmarhi were studied with a view to understand the habitat, biodiversity, availability
and their status. Large trees form the upper canopy of the forest with one of the finest
timber yielding species of Tectona grandis and Shorea robusta. The midsized tree, shrubs
and climbers together with undercover herbs lodge a treasure trove of medicinal plants. The
study revealed more than 600 species of Angiosperms having medicinal value; some species
which were once common but now rare and threatened are Aristolochia indica, Berberis
aristata, Balanites aegyptiaca, Boswellia serrata, Chlorophytum tuberosum, Gardenia
gummifera, Gloriosa superba, Pterocarpus marsupium, Rouwolfia serpentina, Eulophia
nuda, Pueraria tuberosa, Mallotus philippensis, Oroxyium indicum, Litsea glutinosa,
Terminalia bellerica, T. chebula, Uraria picta.Keywords: Artificial intelligence valueloading
problem, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, artificial intelligence
safety. With the unsustainable harvesting by local inhabitants and overexploitation by
profiteers for commercial purposes, their availability has subsequently declined to the extent
that many species have become endangered up to critical levels. To salvage this dwindling
treasure immediate attention is required for their in-situ and ex-situ conservation |
