Resource Assessment and Distribution Pattern of Taxus Baccata L : General Introductions, Distributions, Resource Assessment Methods, Sustainable Harvesting Practices

Taxus (CITES Appendix II) is highly valued for taxol, an important medicine for treatment of several forms of cancers, very sparse information is known about its resource status, distribution and management practices. The demand of its leafy biomass in global drugs market is growing day by day as the patients of cancer are increasing. The harvesting of such resources has not been done in a sustainable way that's why there is an urgent need for its study in the resources area. In this context, the book provides information of resource assessment and distribution pattern of Taxus in the working area. A total leafy biomass stock of 165,144 kg of Taxus was estimated in the working area of which one-third was suggested to keep unharvested and the remaining two thirds was estimated as harvestable products. It was also found that aspect & micro climate also affects the distribution pattern & chi square test showed that Taxus was not uniformly distributed. The work should help shed some light on Taxus cultivators, processing companies, researchers & should be especially useful for sustainable forest management practices & I/N/GOs to formulate site level NTFPs policy or carry out the EIA.