YPSA HERBARIUM: STORE HOUSE OF PLANT GENETIC

Herbarium: A collection of dried and pressed plants arranged according to a classification system and available for study of reference, a name first applied by Linnaeus.

Modern herbarium is utilized as reference center for identification of plants by the botanists doing research work in taxonomy, ecology, agriculture, Pharmacy, etc.

It is a link organization of YPSA and also a documentation center because it contains the specimens of new taxa, plants belongings to new discoveries, plants of economic importance, and voucher specimens of cytological and cytogenetic studies, photographs of importance important plants, and all decampments related systematic research.

Geneticist, chemists, pharmacists, etc. use the modern herbarium as a storehouse. It stores habitat, distribution of plants, etc. Modern herbariums provide training for Young undergraduates, solve quires of scientist, environmentalists, doctors, students, etc. and thus work as a service institution.

Projects area

Initially the project Covers Sitakund Forest zone and than other areas of Bangladesh .

Goal

To establish a well developed Herbarium, it will be rich, plant genetic resources and centre for floral research.

Objectives

• To conserve plant genetic resource
• To conserve biodiversity (Floral diversity)
• To raise social awareness about environment
• To reduce poverty
• To establish nursery for indigenous medicinal plants
• To conserve threatened plant
• To prepare a Red Data book for the plants
• Community participation in biodiversity conservation.

Function of Herbarium

• Preserved specimens of herbarium are used in almost all types of taxonomic research.
• Our Knowledge of distribution of plant evolution, and several taxonomical problems etc. Is based mainly on the herbarium specimens.
• Plants specimens are permanently stored in herbarium, and therefore it is the major sources of information about plant and vegetation.
• A picture of all species of a genus, or all the genera of a family may be gathered only in the herbarium .
• The classification of all words `Flora' based mainly on the herbarium materials.
• Only herbarium specimens may prepare list of endangered species of any region.
• Only herbarium specimens prepare monographs of genera of families of families.
• Big herbarium provides training to the students in herbarium practices.
• Herbarium preserves the national plant wealth and provides scientific information to the public regarding the plants.
• Herbarium provides loan of specimens for study at other institutions.
• Herbarium materials are used in studying the palynology, anatomy and chemical aspects of desired plants.

Sitakund was one of the richest areas of biodiversity in Chittagong until the independence of Bangladesh . The vegetation has largely been destroyed by logging and fire wood collection by local people. Both local and forestry have cleared shrubby jungles in many area people thus greatly depleting the biodiversity in the area. Many rare and medicinally important plant species have been locally threatened.

Hooker and Thomson had made a number of collections from sitakund during their visit to Chittagong in 1851 (khan 1991b), and recorded many species in the Flora of British India (Hooker 1872-1892).

Heinig (1925) included 36 species from Sitakund. Khan (1985) recorded 11 species of the family Convolvolaceae from Sitakund in the Flora of Bangladesh. But there have been no intensive explorations and published reports exclusively on the Flora of Sitakund. So there is an urgent need to survey, collect, identify and inventory of plants. Utilizing the indigenous Knowledge base, efforts should be made to increase the diversity of species foe food, medicine and other purpose.

Locally available medicinal plants from the primary source of medicines for traditional system healthcare at community level. Loss of biodiversity is occurring at all levels. Ecosystem and communities are being degraded and destroyed and species are being driven to extinction due to various human activities.

Women have greater interest in sustaining biological resource because they make economic use of a much wider range of products than men do. The participation of women in planning and implementing projects that involves natural resource will be a necessary step in conservation of floral diversity.