People living in the arid lands of Sindh have found a new business. They are extracting gum resin — a mixture of gum and the plant secretion, resin, which is used to make certain pharmaceuticals — from the local Guggal tree. People are selling it as it has immense medicinal value.
Man is supposed to be nature’s worst enemy and this is being proved here. The gum-resin trade has increased so much that the valuable plant is now on the verge of extinction, posing a grave threat not only to forest conservation but also to the natural diversity of the area.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in collaboration with the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), organised a brainstorming session on Tuesday to address the issue. This was the first attempt to conserve the Guggal trees whose exact population, mapping and biology is still officially unknown.
Guggal whose taxonomic name is ‘Commiphora Wightti’ is a slow-growing rangeland shrub with a thin, papery bark. It is specifically found in arid regions of the country, including the hilly areas of Jamshoro, Karunjhar hills, Nagarparkar, Tharparkar, the Kirthar mountain range, Dadu and the Thar Desert in Sindh and Cholistan, Thal and Kharian in Punjab.
Experts explained that the slow-growing nature of endangered plant species does add to the extinction threat, but the poor seed-setting, lack of cultivation, a poor seed germination rate, drought, overgrazing, destruction of habitat and excessive scientific tapping for its gum have caused the most harm.
Dr Lekhraj Kella, the provincial project coordinator for the Sustainable Land Management Project, said the real reason for the extinction is its commercial exploitation for economic purposes. The oleo-gum of the Guggal is mainly useful as a carminative, in treating obesity, lipid metabolism disorders, arthritis, respiratory problems and for eliminating toxins from the body.
He highlighted that Guggal has become an important plant species of Pakistan’s dry-land ecosystem. This is because the leaves of the plant are edible and grazed by livestock, its seeds and fruit are used as food by the people and it helps maintain the ecological balance in rocky hills through soil conservation and accelerating plant succession.
Syed Ghulam Qadir Shah, the IUCN natural resource management coordinator, shared the organisation’s India experience of conserving the Guggal tree. He said in India the plant has historical references. It is believed to have therapeutic properties in the Atharvaveda, one of the four Hindu Holy Scriptures (Vedas) and in the Sushruta Samhita (600 BC), a well-known Ayurvedic medical text. Although presently India’s gum demand is about 300 tons, its supply is limited to 75 tons, which was achieved through involving community for in-situ (on site) conservation.
Dr Vineet, IUCN’s expert from India, also joined on video call and shared how the communities employed vegetative propagation and plant-tissue culture for the cultivation of the plant.
Dr Kella stressed the need to adopt conservation methods in Pakistan.
Another concern for the experts is the increasing use of chemicals to extract maximum resin that damages the tree and reportedly has also affects the animals who feed on the plant. “The people of the arid Guggal-rich regions have been taught by the buying companies to use copper sulphate to extract the gum. The business has attracted the influential people of the area to exploit it for maximum profit,” he said.
The experts and stakeholders concluded that the plant needs to be preserved and an alternative livelihood options for people needs to be looked into. Sindh Forest and Wildlife Secretary Mushtaq Ali Memon ordered for a sub-committee to be made to chalk out a conservation plan.
The meeting also decided to seek the input of academics, the forestry department, NGOs and pharmaceutical buyers.
Facts about the plant:
A healthy tree, aged around five years, yields about 250-500 grams of resin in one season
Total production of Guggal in Pakistan was approx 25-50 tons annually in 1998
The price of 40 kilograms of Guggul gums ranges from Rs20,000 to Rs40,000, depending on the market
The gum is commonly used in incense and perfumes on religious occasions
Pharmaceutical uses:
As a carminative
Treats obesity
For lipid metabolism disorders
For arthritis
Treats respiratory problems
Eliminating toxins from the body
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2011.
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