Kathmandu, December 20:

Natural History Museum (NHM) under Tribhuvan University has initiated ‘Indigenous plants conservation programme’ for conserving indigenous plants found in Swoyambhu area.

Museum chief Dr Keshab Shrestha said they had initiated the programme for conserving the indigenous species of plants and preventing them extinction.

He said the programme also targetted to conserve world heritage site with the preservation of Himalayan plants.

According to Shrestha, a British scientist had found in 1802 that there were around 56 indigenous plants in the area. He added that their nomenclature had been prepared in the local language.

He said they were conducting awareness and protection programmes with the coordination of Swoyambhu locals and schoolchildren.

Shrestha said due to destruction of forests, local people had been threatening the existence of these indigenous plants.

He said NHM had proposed to transform Swoyambhu forest into ‘a religious forest’ about a year ago but had not received a good response from the authorities concerned.

He said there were around 350 such plants scattered in 32 hectares of land in Swoyambhu.

“We are preserving around 100 indigenous plants per hectare in Swoyambhu Environment Garden,” added Shrestha.

He alleged that the government had totally ignored their proposal and had not provided

a penny for the project, saying that Japan International Cooperation Agency had come to their support.

Shrestha added that they would shift the museum from Swoyambhu once the former royal palace Narayanhiti sees completion as a museum.