On February 27, 2023, a seminar on "Himalayan Bioresources for the Global Society" was held at Bijoy Auditorium of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) organized by the Environmental Club of BUP (EnCBUP) run by the Department of Environmental Science under the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST).

 

Dr. Rana Bahadur Rawal, Ex-Minister of Internal Affairs, Communication and Law, Sudurpaschim Pradesh, Nepal was the Keynote Speaker of this Seminar. Respected Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) Brig. General Md Mustafa Kamal, SGP and the Chairman of the Department of Environmental Science, BUP Wing Commander Md Khaledur Rahman was present. Besides. All the faculty members officials and students of Department of Environmental Science, and executive committee members of the club (EnCBUP) enjoyed this insightful seminar.

 

The Himalayan ranges are one of the world's youngest mountain ranges with a highly complex and diverse system in terms of biological and physical attributes. The natural ecosystem variety and richness in indigenous bioresources of the Himalayas have significant ecological importance. Sustainable utilization of Himalayan bioresources can boost up world bio-economy to a great extent. Respected Keynote speaker of the seminar shared his valuable experiences and enlightening knowledge about the significance of these bioresources in an interactive and productive manner.

 

At the beginning, Dr. Rawal gave a brief introduction about Nepal, and the Himalayan ranges. Then he discussed thoroughly about the Himalayan bioresources which included medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), forests, agriculture, livestock, water resources, and endemic species. These resources are of great importance to the region's economy, culture, and biodiversity, and also have significant global impact. It is regarded for providing ecosystem services to the Asian region as well as the rest of the world by preserving higher levels of biodiversity.

 

After that, he discussed the medicinal value of some of the most popular MAPs found in the Himalayan ranges. Some of the MAPs are very rare and grow in critical conditions which are really  interesting to know. How local people use them, how global communities get benefits from them, what is the impact of them in traditional culture, or in rituals, all were discussed circumstantially. Cultural, social, economic, and environmental benefits of the bioresources are numerous, and they have huge market value locally and globally. Dr. Rana discussed them minutely & stressed about the market chain of these bioresources, and mentioned the involvement of different countries regarding being influential in these businesses.