Role of aquatic plant in the livelihood purposes in the wetlands of north Bihar
Dr. AB Verma
It is well known fact that wetlands are highly productive region and may be considered as kidney of nature thus it must be protected and managed. Keeping these in view present investigations were carried out with the main objective to role of aquatic phytodiversity in the development of north Bihar through various ecological aspects and emphasis on their utilization. During the study period it has been found that wetlands of Darbhanga support a bewildering array of flora and fauna and contain relict of plant species from the tertiary period, which are of great limnological interest. These include Euryale ferox, Vetiveria zizanioides, Scirpus articulatus, Typha australis, Alternanthera sessilis, Asteracantha longifolia, Trapa bispinosa, Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea alba, Eichhornia crassipes, Ipomoea aquatica, etc. Development strategy of a region could succeed only, if it incorporates the optimum harnessing of the indigenous resources available in the area. It is with this purpose that the wetland plants growing in the floodplains of north Bihar need to be harnessed in a better way for meeting the livelihood purposes of food (including fodder for animals) and other allied needs. The indigenous practices of utilizing a no. of these plants for curing human and bovine ailments have been proved experimentally and as such there is a need to incorporate them in the primary health care system, more particularly for control of deficiency diseases on the one hand and their use as source of anti-obesity and anti-diabetic drugs on the other.