Forest-based livelihoods need nurturing

These ‘lesser known’ products are commonly referred to as Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP). Interestingly, due to a perceived lower value in comparison to timber harvested from forests, they were previously referred to as Minor Forest Produce. The reality though is that, the amount of revenue generated from NTFPs is much more than that of timber logging.  

In India, the collection of NTFP has been promoted as strategy to aid conservation whilst simultaneously alleviating poverty and a recent legislation now gives communities living within Protected Areas the legal right to collect NTFPs. The dependence of local communities over NTFP led to the proposition that enhancing incomes from sustainable NTFP harvesting can help maintain local livelihoods, as well as provide local communities with economic incentives to conserve biodiversity. However, if uncontrolled, harvest and allied anthropogenic pressures might leave the forests with much open canopy; making it susceptible to unwarranted invasive plants colonising the forests. If unregulated, there are also possibilities for forests such as the dry deciduous forests being distorted to scrub landscapes.  

On the other hand, if streamlined and managed well, sustainable harvest of NTFP could provide greater and direct economic returns to the local communities, and may eventually contribute to self- regulating harvest levels. Some of the most common NTFP collected from forests include fruits such as Phyl lanthus indofischeri, Phyllanthus emblica, leaves of Phoenix loureirii var. humilis, Boswellia serrata, Shorea roxburghii, Garcinia gum mi-gutta, and Sterculia urens. India holds the monopoly in world trade over some of the NTFPs such as Karaya gum ( Sterculia urens ), My robalans ( Phyllanthus indofisheri, Terminalia chebula ), Sandalwood chips and dust (Santalum album ). 

The government of Tamil Nadu, through the Department of Forests has constituted Village Forest Committees (VFCs) to oversee the collection and sale of NTFPs.  It would augur well for the forests and the resident communities if NTFP is handled using an enterprise ap proach. This would entail that the landscape is mapped for its resources, and using a participatory approach, a mutually agreed upon sustainable harvest regime is arrived at for each of the species collected. More importantly, a sound monitoring and evaluation programme that involves local harvesters, communities and forest officials needs to be established, the results of which could be fed back into the system for effective management. This calls for providing credible ecological information to the stakeholders, as also local policy and institutional reform. A task that is daunting, but certainly not impossible.