Non-timber forest products in management of tribal livelihood of Eastern Himalayan Region: A sustainability analysis
Article Main
Abstract
The North Eastern region of India is home to unique and diverse species of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), which are a rich source of income and play an important role in the living traditions of its people. The study was conducted in Meghalaya (East Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi) and Nagaland (Mokokchung, Peren), selecting two districts per state. From 20 villages across four Rural Development blocks, 250 respondents were proportionately chosen based on household availability. The study employed an exploratory research design using panel data and a purposive sampling technique, with the survey conducted during 2021-22. The study found that income from NTFPs contributed to socioeconomic sustainability in Nagaland, whereas Meghalaya faced an unsustainable scenario. NTFP income was deemed unsustainable due to monetary value fluctuations and inflation. Among the 47 identified NTFPs, broom grass, bamboo, mushroom, bamboo shoot, and snail were highly preferred for their demand and profitability. The vulnerability index indicated that Asian honeybee (3.57), betel leaf vine (3.40), and wild black pepper (3.13) were ecologically very vulnerable due to overuse, low regeneration, and indiscriminate harvesting. Some species were moderately vulnerable, while most were less vulnerable. Strict regulation by local conservation bodies, traditional institutions, and the state forest department is essential to prevent illegal forest destruction. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GOI, should expand Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) under TRIFED to enhance value addition, branding, and marketing, ensuring sustainable livelihoods and fair returns for forest-dependent communities.
Article Details
Article Details
Non-Timber Forest Products, Eastern Himalayan, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Socioeconomic and Ecological sustainability
Baumflek, M. (2016). Developing Standards for Sustainable Commercial Ramp Harvesting. Temperate Agroforester. 22(3).
Betti J.L. (2001). Vulnérabilité des plantes utiliséescommeantipaludiques dans l’arrondissement de Mintom au sud de la réserve de Biosphère du Dja (Cameroun). Systematics and Geography of Plants, 71, 661-678.
Bluffstone R., Robinson, E.&Guthiga, P. (2013). REDD and community-controlled forests in low-income countries: Any hope for a linkage? Ecological Economics, 87, 43-52.
Chiphang S., Singh, R., & Feroze, S.M. (2020). Study of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPS) in Meghalaya State of India: Methods for Empirical Analysis. Economic Affairs, 65(1), 0424-2513.
ChopraK. (1993). The value of NTFP: An estimation for tropical deciduous forest in India. Economic Botany,47, 251-257.
Das S., Longkumer N., Ozukum L., & Ngullie T. Factors Influencing the Collection of Non TimberForest Products by Forest Dwellers in Nagaland, India.Indian Journal of Agroforestry, 24(1). https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJA/article/view/116573.
Ekwugha E.U.& Onyema M.C. (2014). Prospects of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) on poverty alleviation among rural women in Imo State, Nigeria. International Conference on Advances in Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Sciences (AABES-2014), Dubai (UAE).
Evariste F. & AloysN. (2016). Sustainability assessment of non-timber forest products in South-Eastern Cameroon rainforests. Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 3, 66-74.
FAO. (1992). Forests, trees and food. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy. Available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/u5620e/U5620E00.HTM
FAO. (1995). Non-Wood Forest Products in Nutrition. In: Non-Wood Forest Products for Rural Income and Sustainable Forestry, Rome, Italy. Available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/u5620e/U5620E00.HTM.
FAO. (2009). Non-wood forest products. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Available at http://www.fao.org.
Ghazala S.& Soumya P. (2004). Assessing ecological sustainability of non-timber forest produce extraction: The Indian scenario. Conservationand Society2.
Jones E.T., McLain, R.J. & James, W. (2021). Non-timber forest products in the United States. Kansas Open Books.
Konyak P.A., Semy, K.,& Puro, N. (2021). Non-timber forest products as a means of livelihood in Mon district, Nagaland, India. Current Science, 21(6), 837-840. https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv121%2Fi6%2F837-840.
Lallawmkimi., Lalrinpuii H., & Vabeikhokhei J.M.C. (2023). Non Timber Forest Products Marketing - A Case Study in Aizawl Market, Mizoram, India. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 16(1), 121-126.
Longkumer N., Das S., Sahu A.K., Patra N.K. & Murry N. (2020). Contribution of non-timber forest products towards rural income and employment in Mokokchung district of Nagaland. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2, 61-65.
Lynser B., Marvellous & Tiwari B. (2016). Diversity and Utilisation of Floral Non-Timber Forest Products by the Communities in Rural Meghalaya, North-East India. Journal of Forest and Environmental Science, 32(10), 39-54.
Meinhold K.&DarrD. (2019). The processing of non-timber forest products through small and medium enterprises: A review of enabling and constraining factors. Forests,10, 1026. doi:10.3390/f10111026.
Mipun P., Bhat N.A., Borah D., & Kumar Y. (2019). Non-timber forest products and their contribution to healthcare and livelihood security among the Karbi tribe in Northeast India. Ecological Processes, 8(41). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-019-0194-4.
Oldroyd B.P., & Nanork P. (2023). Conservation of Asian honey bees. Apidologie, 40(3), 296-312. DOI:10.1051/apido/2009021
Pandey A.K., Ngullie E., Walling I., Krose M., & Bhatt B.P. (2022). Tribal farmers' traditional knowledge and practices for pig farming in Nagaland. The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 92(4), 482–486.
Pervez M., & Manzoor F. (2021). Honey bee losses and pesticides threat: an Asian perspective. Journal of Apicultural Research, 62(1), 54-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2022.2103331
Sangma A.J.T.&Lalnundanga. (2018). Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) used by Garo tribe of Rongram block in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 18, 151-161.
Saha D.& Sundriyal R. (2010). Utilization of non-timber forest products in humid tropics: Implications for management and livelihood. Forest Policy and Economics, 14, 28-40.
SadaR. (2007). Resource assessment of non-timber forest products for enterprise development (A case study from two community forests of Bhaktapur and Kavrepalanchowk districts) [Project report]. Garhwal University, Srinagar, Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India.
Shankar U. (2022). Ecology And Economics of Domestication of Non-Timber Forest Products: An Illustration of Broomgrass in Darjeeling Himalaya. Journal of Tropical Forest Science, 13(1), 171–191.
Shankar R & Rawat M.S. (2013). Conservation and cultivation of threatened and high valued medicinal plants in North East India. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 5(9), 584-591.
Shaanker U.R. et al. (2004). Livelihood gains and ecological costs of non-timber forest product dependence: Assessing the roles of dependence, ecological knowledge and market structure in three contrasting human and ecological settings in South India. Environmental Conservation, 31, 242-253.
StanleyD., Voeks R.& Short L. (2012). Is non-timber forest product harvest sustainable in the less developed world? A systematic review of the recent economic and ecological literature. Ethnobiology and Conservation, 1.doi:10.15451/ec2012-8-1.9-1-39.
Suleiman M.S., Wasonga V.O., Mbau J.S., Suleiman A.& Elhadi Y.A. (2017). Non-timber forest products and their contribution to households’ income around Falgore Game Reserve in Kano, Nigeria. Ecological Processes,6.doi: 10.1186/s13717-017-0090-8.
Ticktin T. (2015). The ecological sustainability of non-timber forest product harvest: Principles and methods. Ecological Sustainability for Non-timber Forest Products: Dynamics and Case Studies of Harvesting, 31-52.
Tynsong H., Tiwari B.K. & Dkhar M. (2012). Contribution of NTFPs to cash income of the War Khasi community of southern Meghalaya, North-East India. Forest Studies China,14, 47-54.
Wickens G.E. (1991). Management issues for development of non-timber forest products. Unasylva 42(165), 3-8.
World Bank (2015). International-Poverty-Line Estimator. Available at https://www.blogs.worldbank.org/developmen ttalk/international-poverty-line
Zingkhai H.G. (2015). Traditional practice of sustainable utilization of forest resources among the Ao-Naga tribe of Nagaland. Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 20, 01-06.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) © Author (s)
