Uttarakhand State PCS

• 04 May 2024

Kumaon Fan Palm Under Conservation

Why in News?

The Uttarakhand Forest Research Wing has reached a milestone by growing 300 seedlings of this native plant at Paatalthod nursery in Pithoragarh.

Key Points

• This initiative was started in an effort to revive and conserve the Kumaon palm, also known as the Kumaon Fan Palm.
• It is the only palm species known to survive in sub-zero temperatures and is called the hardest palm in the world.
• According to the forest research wing, the plant species has been classified as 'threatened' by both the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board.

Kumaon Fan Palm

• The palm tree is native to the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand Province in northwestern India, and into adjacent western Nepal.
• The palm grows at altitudes of 1,800–2,700 m (5,900–8,900 ft) and it receives snow and frost on a regular basis in its native habitat.
• Its scientific name is Trachycarpus takil.

International Union for Conservation of Nature

• It is a membership union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations.
• Created in 1948, it is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
• It is headquartered in Switzerland.
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.