CHITRAL: Speakers at a conference have called for collection of authentic data of both the endemic and exotic species of plants in Chitral.

The international conference of botanists on ‘digitalisation and documentation of plant natural resources in Chitral’ has been organised under the aegis of Chitral University. Botanists of national and international stature are participating in the conference, which will last for five days.

In the papers read out at the inauguration session of the conference on Thursday, it was said that due to its unique geographic position in the confluence of three chains of mountains including Hindukush, Karakoram and Himalaya, the flora had a rich variety with a big chunk of them being endemic in nature.

“Authentic and scientific data of the plants will serve not only academic purposes but will also help the government to launch projects of natural resources management for economic uplift of the people based on the locally available herbs and plants,” the speakers said.

The data base developed on the basis of the study will help to analyse distribution pattern of the specific species of plants in the foothold of Hindukush system of mountains, which have been noted for their peculiarities and unique behaviour in this environment.

They said that rich endemic plants of Chitral had the potential to develop the industries of food, cosmetics and pharmacy thereby attracting investors to the area in large number.

The speakers expressed their satisfaction over the opening of botany department in the newly established Chitral University. They hoped that it would exploit the plant natural resources of Chitral to its full as part of academic activity and would disseminate the information so obtained.

Deputy Commissioner Irshad Sodhar, project director of the university Prof Badshah Munir Bukhari, Dr Mary Elizabeth Barkworth of Utah University the USA, Dr Zhang Faqi of Academy of Sciences China, Prof Sirajud Din of University of Peshawar, Prof Rabia Asma Memon of Sind University and others addressed the conference.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2018