Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
as strong rains and winds, have sometimes made it impossible
for harvesters to perform second cuttings of the aerial parts of
cultivated herbs such as peppermint.
effects in
African
countries
Medicinal plants on other continents have also been impacted
by severe weather conditions. Africa's Sahel region experi-
enced one of the most severe droughts of the twentieth cen-
tury. In Africa, medicinal plants of the Sahel include hibiscus
(
Hibiscus sabdariffa
, Malvaceae), myrrh (
Commiphora afri-
cana
, Burseraceae), frankincense (
Boswellia
spp, Burseraceae),
baobab (
Adansonia digitata
, Malvaceae), moringa (
Moringa
oleifera
, Moringaceae) and various aloes (
Aloe
spp, Liliaceae)
and were affected. Future drought from climate change could
have devastating effects on the region's already suffering eco-
systems and harvesting capabilities.
effects in India
India, whose climate is largely controlled by an annual monsoon,
appears to be experiencing increasingly severe and erratic pre-
cipitation. A recent study found that the overall amount of mon-
soon rainfall across Central India has remained relatively stable
over the past century; however, moderate rainfall events during
monsoon seasons have significantly decreased while extreme
rainfall events have greatly increased since the early 1980s. This
increase in extreme rainfall events could indicate greater poten-
tial for future natural disasters. Experts have claimed that the
frequency and intensity of flooding has likewise been increasing
in India in recent years as well as hailstorms that have caused
huge agricultural losses across areas of India.
States like Gujarat and Rajasthan experienced hailstorms
and rains in 2006, 2007 and 2008, at times when such events
traditionally have not occurred within the past 50 years. Hail
and rainstorms have also damaged psyllium (
Plantago ovata
,
Plantaginaceae), wheat (
Triticum aestivum
, Poaceae) and cumin
(
Cuminum cyminum
, Apiaceae) crops in the area. The destruc-
tion of Indian psyllium crops from hail and rainstorms resulted
in a smaller than usual annual yield for 2008. Similarly, it was
noted that the availability of menthol crystals was affected by
heavy monsoon rainfall, which occurred earlier than usual in
Northern India and reportedly damaged wild mint (
Mentha
arvensis
, Lamiaceae) crops in 2008.
Hurricane seasons could also be affected by climate change,
although experts do not agree on the possible effects. Some
experts believe that hurricanes will increase in frequency, dura-
tion and intensity; others predict that hurricanes will either not
be significantly affected or might even be inhibited by factors
