Forests are vital for ensuring stability of water cycle and its benefits to agriculture and households, carbon cycle and its role in climate mitigation, soil fertility and its value to crop production, local microclimate for safe habitats, medicinal plants for health, biodiversity for survival, and so on; which are all crucial elements of green economy for reducing poverty and hunger.

Approach to conserve biodiversity for sustainable development should be targeted at different levels, from improving living standards to changing the attitude of people. If Himalayan medicinal plants are to continue to serve the needs of the people without being reduced to a dangerously unstable resource base, they have to be considered in the perspective of sound ecological management that also has economic benefits to the local people.

Non timber forest products (NTFPs) play a vital role in sustaining rural communities, particularly those living adjacent to forest areas. In India, it is estimated that over 50 million people are dependent on NTFPs for their subsistence and derive their earnings from these products after consuming about 60% of NTFPs.