The 9 th  International & 18 th  National three days Conference on Biodiversity and Medicinal Plants: A Way Forward to Sustainable Development (BMP-SD), commenced at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR), here on Friday.

The conference was jointly organized by the Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, PMAS-AAUR in collaboration with the Weed Science Society of Pakistan with the focus of biodiversity conservation issues & medicinal plant conservation for product development.

The speakers at the International Conference highlighted the importance of medicinal plants in human life and said that medicinal Plants are the future of Pakistan. They said that Pakistan has rich physical diversity and there is dire need to protect biodiversity for future generations in Pakistan by adopting practical measures and the use of artificial intelligence specially for plant breeding.

Addressing the inaugural session of the conference as chief guest, former Vice Chancellor of Karachi University Prof. Dr. Muhammad Qaiser said that medicinal plants are precious gifts of God and institutions, academicians, researchers, policymakers and industries should join hands to do research on medicinal plants.

Dr. Qaisar said that Pakistan ecosystem is disturbed, particularly the agro-ecosystem and there is need to make serious efforts to address the ecosystem and its conservation for future generations.

 He hoped that the conference will be helpful to provide an opportunity to the researchers, industrialists and policy makers to sit together and form a devise plan for solution of their problems.

PMAS-AAUR Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Naeem, in his address welcomed the participants and said that biodiversity plays a vital role in our life and medicinal plants are the backbone of our survival and sustainable life. He hoped that this conference will not only provide opportunities for collaborative research with related Institutes on one hand and on the other it will also enhance the knowledge of plant conservation and sustainable utilization of plant biodiversity of rare and endemic plants of Pakistan.

Prof. Dr. Rehmatullah Qureshi, Chief Organizer of the conference & Chairman Botany Department explained the aims and objectives of the conference and said that plants are providing basic needs of life. He informed the gathering that this conference specially focuses on Medicinal Plants and Biodiversity and also provides s opportunities for Mutual Cooperation & Collaborations.  He also told the participants that 200 abstracts were received and 62 were selected speeches for the different sessions of the conference.  

Participants from all over Pakistan from different organizations & institutes including renowned scientist scholars and students in different specializations while participants from different countries, including Egypt,  Iraq, Bangladesh are attending this  conference.