The state of Jharkhand is a part of biodiversity-rich regions of India because of its diverse physiographic and climatic conditions. It forms part of the Chotanagpur plateau province of the Deccan peninsula biographic zone. Nearly 50% of the country’s minerals are located in the state; 30% of its geographic area is covered with tropical dry deciduous forest, moist deciduous forest, dry peninsular forest and dry mixed deciduous forest types. They form catchments of three main rivers namely Koel, Damodar and Subernekha. The landscape of the state has a mix of wild, semi-wild and cultivated habitats. Though 29.6% of its total area is a notified forest, the biodiversity of the state is under threat due to unsustainable harvest of natural resources that has resulted in the loss of regeneration capacity of medicinal plants like Rauwolfia serpentina, Adathoda vasica, Gloriosa superba and Achyranthes aspera.

1. State Medicinal Plant Board, Ranchi
2. Institute of Forest Productivity, Ranchi