GILGIT, March 11: Three international NGOs working in Gilgit-Baltistan have asked local communities to ensure an economical and judicious use of rare medicinal plants found in the region.

At a workshop organized jointly by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, World Conservation Union, World Wide Fund for Nature and Northern Areas Forest Department, the experts said that rare wild plants in the mountainous areas were vanishing fast, mainly due to their exploitation for commercial use.

Forests conservator Ghulam Tahir pointed out that a lack of knowledge had resulted in the destruction of those plants. The workshop was informed that the kind of plants found in the Northern Areas were rare and scarcely found elsewhere in the world. These could be used for the treatment of various diseases and also as food.

Speakers emphasized on the sustainable harvest of such plants besides their artificial cultivation on mountain slopes and agriculture lands. Mr Tahir assured the NGOs of his department's support in their efforts to conserve these plants. The workshop recommended the formation of a forum comprising representative of all NGOs for finalizing proposals to promote this cause.