Ethno-Medicinal Practices and Sustainable Development: Sensitive Issues of Economic Transformation in Chhattisgarh

" An Act to provide for conservation of Biological Diversity, sustainable use of its components and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources, knowledge and for matter connected therewith or incidental thereto. " The Preamble Biological Diversity Act (India), 2002 Human survival on any part of the earth depends upon conservation of biodiversity resources. All types of biodiversity are over exploited. Deforestation is growing worldwide due to the over-consumptive lifestyle of people. According to Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000, the net annual deforestation at the global level is one million hectare. This high rate of deforestation poses a serious threat to human survival. The key to sustainable development in any forested regions of world lies in: • empowering indigenous communities to coexist with biological diversity • protecting biological wealth • preventing the erosion of people's knowledge system related to biological protection and conservation • ensuring sustainable use of eco-health • promotion of a wider application of community knowledge, practices and innovation related to biodiversity with their approval and participation • ensuring equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of indigenous knowledge systems, innovation and practices These basic concepts of sustainable development have been approved by the International Convention of Biological Diversity. Chhattisgarh, a nascent state of India, was born on November 1, 2001. It lies in the eastern part of India between 17º46' N and 24.06' N latitude and 80.15' E and 84º51' E longitude. Chhattisgarh is treated as a land of opportunities and an herbal State of India. The region possesses not only rich physical heritage but also includes the world-famous tribal belt of Bastar. Every third citizen of this State is a tribal member—tribal people constitute 32.46% of total population of Chhattisgarh. The State accommodates 42 tribal communities, including five primitive tribes. These tribal communities preserve a vast amount of indigenous knowledge that has yet to be appropriately explored and documented. Forests cover better than 44% of the State's geographic area, for a total of 56,448 sq. kms. Dense forest constitutes 67.10% of the total forest area, while 32.89% is considered open forest. The forest region of