Biodlver.~ity : Harvest To Conserve

IIHlNACHAL

rOnLS!

Only for academic use

1'1,\1,

15 (1&2) 97: 40-46

Biodlver.~ity : Harvest To Conserve ~,

VOla Shankar G. B. Pant Instituteof Himalayan Environment and Development North-East Unit, Vivek Vihar, Itanagar - 79 I 113. and 1'1. L. Khan North-Eastern

Department of Forestry Regional Institute of Science Nirjuli.

Itanagar

- 791

and Technology

J 09.

ABSTRACT Biodiversity in tropical forests is threatened by a number of socio-ecological factors. Exploitation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) by the indigenous societies is often casti!.!ated for lar!.!e scale biodiversity loss, Althou!.!h debated world over, the ma!.!nitude ofbiodiversityer;sion due to extraction ofNTFPs has hardly been ascertained exp;rimentally. Notll ithstanding, lhe conservation of biodiversity can bc envisaged in sustainable harvest of :\FPTs in tropical forests, A sustainable harvest means a renewed or an indet1nite process of collcction of various products from the same area of forcst with no or negligible adverse impact on its structure and ecological processes. Fortunately, there are ways to achieve sustainability if the gap between the potential and thc rcality is narrowed. Howevcr, a sustainablc hanest would yield only controlled quantities of NTFPs which ifnot cnough tosatisfypeoplc's necd, wouldleae! to over-exploitation ofthc resource basc.

Kcy words:

Non-timber

Forest Products, Tribc. Extraction,

Cultivation,

Sustainability.

INTRODUCTION Humans have an arboreal lineage, and their dependence on the forests is indispensable, Traditionally, humans have subsistcd on a variety of plant and animal products from the forests. 'I he dependence of humans on forcsts has undergone a sea change with modcrn development, particularly industrial revolution, In theyore. humans interacted with the forest in a I\'ay similarto the wild animals. They lived within the forest, gathered and consumed different products and subsequently recycled back to the soil. With increasing civilisation (development), a large section of the human population cleared extensive Jorest area !O d.ome.ticate aselect band of plant and animal species. Thus occurred a shift in lifestyle, from hunter-gatherer to agri-pastoralist. Similarly, a shift in forest expanse, from a continuous matrix to a bunch of fragments. Currently, the relic fragments of natural forest house most of the biodiversity in tropics. These forests have not only the aborigine societies to nuture. but also a rapidly musrooming network of forest-based industries to nourish. The indigenous tribal societies subsist on a variety of forest products. In addition to the produce consumed at home. the tribes extract a lot more for export outside the forest and earn cash in form of collection charges. The income thus generated is utilised for livelihood. It is now bcing expatiated all around that indigenous societies are extracting NTFPs unsustainably and stimulating biodiversity erosion. Biodiversity in the forest can be maintaincd if(a) dependence of the people on forest produce is minimised up to the point where carrying capacity of the system attains its maximum, and (b) all the forest produce is harvested in a sustainable fashion, Since needs of the people have grown for rise in population, the collection ofNTFPs does not generate as much income as aspired. It is therefore likely that exploitation of the resource base would take place bcyond sustainable levels which in turn would threaten biodiversity. IlIlhiscOlltcxt, it is suggested that ifNTFPs can be made to bargain a better price by processing into marketable products (instead of supplying in raw form to the industry), the local people would have several fold income ~enerated from the same quantities ofNTFPs. Hence, over-exploitation can be controlled effectively.

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ARUNACIIAL

FOREST

I'EWS

VOl.. ] 5 (I &2) 97

'"

'ARE

CURRENT

HARVESTS

UNSUSTAINABLE?

Almost all systems of harv'c,;t Of forest product£ have been iute.rpteted unsUst