ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATIVE & MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN ANCIENT INDIA: A STUDY OF PREVALENT PRACTICES IN ANCIENT INDIA

India is a mega diversity country with an enormous repository of biological wealth in terms of flora (45,000 species), fauna (75,000 species) and microorganisms. It is also endowed with a rich and invaluable, cultural and traditional knowledge, and practice systems. Our country is well known for its indigenous systems of medicines like Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, etc. New pharmaceutical products are being identified based on this and their effects are to be validated. We need to plan to conserve and sustain this biological wealth for our next generations. The concern for environmental issues is among the most topical issues in academic, business and political debates in both the developed and the developing countries. This paper highlights the issues related to evolution, utilization and degradation of natural resources right from ancient to modern era and also highlights the prevalent practices of Ancient India for environment conservation. Several researchers, academicians, spiritual leaders and many more have conducted many studies, focusing on the historical and sustainable management of natural resources such as forests, land, water etc.