Earthworms: Charles Darwin's 'Unheralded Soldiers of Mankind': Protective & Productive for Man & Environment (Report‪)‬

1. Introduction A revolution is unfolding in vermiculture studies for multiple uses in environmental protection and sustainable development. Earthworms have over 600 million years of experience as 'environmental managers' in the ecosystem. Vermiculture scientists all over the world knew about the role of earthworms as 'waste managers', as 'soil managers & fertility improvers' and 'plant growth promoters' for long time. But some comparatively 'new discoveries' about their role in 'treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters', 'remediation of chemically contaminated soils' and 'development of life saving medicines', 'nutritive feed materials' for fishery & dairy industries and raw materials for 'rubber, lubricants, soaps & detergent industries' have revolutionized the studies into vermiculture.