Forest products and household economy: a case study from Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern India

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. HEGDE ◽  
T. ENTERS
Keyword(s):  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Cash Income ◽  
Household Economy ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Forest Use ◽  
Traditional Communities

Traditional communities living at forest margins use forest resources in various ways. Understanding the resource-use patterns of such communities provides a basis for seeking the participation of such communities in forest conservation. The present study undertaken in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjoining Sigur Plateau in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, addressed the importance of forests in the household economy of indigenous communities. Its main objective was to quantify the forest dependence of local people, and assess to what extent restrictive biodiversity conservation strategies would affect their livelihoods. These questions help in understanding the stake of the people in forest conservation strategies. Economic activities of the households were investigated in eight selected villages, four of which (proximal villages) had access to reserve forest areas where collection of forest products was allowed and were also located close to markets that provided opportunities to sell forest products. The remaining four villages (distal villages) were close to the Wildlife Sanctuary where the collection of forest products was not allowed and there was no access to organized markets. A total of 132 households were surveyed. The households both in proximal and distal villages were classified into three distinct income groups namely ‘low’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’, based on their gross annual income. Use of forest resources in Mudumalai was found to be influenced by multiple factors. In terms of livelihood of the traditional communities, livestock rearing and collection of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) were very important, the latter both for cash income and subsistence use. Peripheral communities used the forest resources in a varied fashion, with NWFPs contributing differently to different income groups. Where there was no restriction on forest use, higher income groups used the resources more heavily than lower income groups, and hence would suffer most from any restriction on forest use. People's reliance on forests evidently declined with increased level both of education and of opportunities in non-forestry vocations. Forests were still very important to the household economy of the local people both in terms of food security and cash income.

scholarly journals What Is the Evidence Base Linking Gender with Access to Forests and Use of Forest Resources for Food Security in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? A Systematic Evidence Map

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1096
Author(s):  
Ngolia Kimanzu ◽  
Björn Schulte-Herbrüggen ◽  
Jessica Clendenning ◽  
Linley Chiwona-Karltun ◽  
Kyla Krogseng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
International Development ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Evidence Map ◽  
Total Consumption ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Forest Use

In nearly all parts of the world, an important part of people’s livelihood is derived from natural resources. Gender is considered one of the most important determinants of access and control over forests. It is thought that women and men within households and communities have different opportunities and different roles and responsibilities in relation to forest use. It is probable that when women have equal access to forests, better food security outcomes can be achieved for individuals and households that are dependent on forests for their livelihoods. A systematic evidence map of the evidence base linking gender with access to forests and use of forest resources for food security was undertaken. Ten bibliographic databases and 22 websites of international development and conservation organisations were searched using keywords suggested by stakeholders. Other articles were found by emailing authors and organisations to send potentially relevant publications. 19,500 articles were retrieved from bibliographic databases and 1281 from other sources. After iterative screening, 77 studies were included: 41 focussed on Africa, 22 on Asia, 12 on Latin America, 2 were global. Most indicators of food security measure access to food, measured by total consumption, expenditure, or income. Studies showed strong gender specialisation: commercial access and utilisation of forests and forest products dominated by men, whereas access for subsistence and household consumption is almost exclusively the task of women. Despite the large number of studies reviewed, limitations of the evidence base, including methodological heterogeneity, a dominance of case studies as the study design, and unequal geographical representation in study locations, make it difficult to generalise about the overall importance of gender and its effect on access to and use of forests for food security in developing countries. The critical gaps in the evidence base include geographical representation in primary research and a greater breadth of study designs to assess gender implications of access to forest resources globally.

scholarly journals Role of Forest Resources to Local Livelihoods: The Case of East Mau Forest Ecosystem, Kenya

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. K. Langat ◽  
E. K. Maranga ◽  
A. A. Aboud ◽  
J. K. Cheboiwo
Keyword(s):  
Construction Material ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Fuel Wood ◽  
Local Livelihoods ◽  
Forest Income ◽  
Forest Use

Forests in Kenya are threatened by unsustainable uses and conversion to alternative land uses. In spite of the consequences of forest degradation and biodiversity loss and reliance of communities on forests livelihoods, there is little empirical data on the role of forest resources in livelihoods of the local communities. Socioeconomic, demographic, and forest use data were obtained by interviewing 367 households. Forest product market survey was undertaken to determine prices of various forest products for valuation of forest use. Forest income was significant to households contributing 33% of total household income. Fuel wood contributed 50%, food (27%), construction material (18%), and fodder, and thatching material 5% to household forest income. Absolute forest income and relative forest income (%) were not significantly different across study locations and between ethnic groups. However, absolute forest income and relative forest income (%) were significantly different among wealth classes. Poor households were more dependent on forests resources. However, in absolute terms, the rich households derived higher forest income. These results provide valuable information on the role of forest resources to livelihoods and could be applied in developing forest conservation policies for enhanced ecosystem services and livelihoods.

Tropical forest seeds in the household economy: effects of market participation among three sociocultural groups in the Upper Xingu region of the Brazilian Amazon

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. I. URZEDO ◽  
E. VIDAL ◽  
E. O. SILLS ◽  
F. C. M. PIÑA-RODRIGUES ◽  
R. G. P. JUNQUEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Cash Income ◽  
Household Economy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Indigenous Groups ◽  
Non Timber Forest Products ◽  
Seed Market ◽  
Sociocultural Background ◽  
Forest Seeds

SUMMARYGovernment regulations have created new markets for non-timber forest products such as tropical forest seeds for ecological restoration and agroforestry in Brazil. This paper examines whether and how participation in the seed market has affected assets that will shape households’ ability to pursue new livelihood opportunities. These impacts may vary across different dimensions of capital and among sociocultural groups. Impacts were characterized through semi-structured interviews following the sustainable livelihoods approach; 40 producers in the Xingu Seed Network, from settler farmer, urban and indigenous groups, were interviewed. The groups differed in perceptions of impacts on their natural, social and human capital, which could be related to the sociocultural background and vulnerability context of each group. Communities that were already organized were most likely to strengthen their social capital through participation. Cash income earned from sale of seeds was correlated with household-reported gains in financial capital, but not correlated with changes in other dimensions of capital. Contrary to expectations, sociocultural groups less integrated with the market achieved better livelihood outcomes through participation in the seed market.

scholarly journals Can the use of medicinal plants motivate forest conservation in the humid mountains of Northern Oaxaca, Mexico?

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Pérez-Nicolás ◽  
Heike Vibrans ◽  
Angélica Romero-Manzanares
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Secondary Growth ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Home Gardens ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Home Garden ◽  
Mountainous Area

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Non-timber forest products are being integrated into conservation strategies. Medicinal plants are considered a reason to conserve the source forests.</p><p><strong>Question</strong>. Can the use of medicinal plants motivate forest conservation?</p><p><strong>Study site and dates.</strong> The study was conducted in Santiago Camotlán, Distrito Villa Alta, Oaxaca, a humid mountainous area in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico, from August 2011 to May 2013.</p><p><strong>Methods.</strong> Ecological Land Units were characterized, and the relative importance of medicinal plants was evaluated. The ethnobotanical methods included participatory mapping, open interviews, semi-structured interviews and free lists with local specialists, as well as members of 17 systematically selected households, collection of characteristic and medicinal plant species, and plant walks with local specialists. For each species, a newly proposed Knowledge, Use and Perception Index based frequency of mention in free lists, frequency of use and perceived importance was calculated.</p><p><strong>Results.</strong> Local people divided their territory primarily by physical geographic characteristics and utilization. Nine units were distinguished: village and roads, home gardens, pastures, cultivated fields (maize, beans, sugar cane and coffee), cloud forest, semi-evergreen tropical forest and evergreen tropical forest, secondary growth (<em>acahuales</em>), and riparian vegetation. The most important medicinal plants were <em>Salvia microphylla</em>, <em>Lippia alba</em> and <em>Artemisia absinthium</em>, all cultivated in home gardens; weedy vegetation provided the majority of all medicinal plants. Individuals interested in preserving medicinal species transplanted them into a home garden.</p><p><strong>Conclusion.</strong> For people in the study area, the presence and use of medicinal plants was not a decisive reason for forest conservation.</p>

scholarly journals ‘First the forest’: conservation, ‘community’ and ‘participation’ in south-west Cameroon

Africa ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barrie Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
West African ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Forest Clearing ◽  
South West ◽  
Forest Use ◽  
Conservation Projects

Western concern with ‘conserving’ or ‘managing’ the rain forests of Africa has led to the setting up of a number of conservation projects. In such projects the ‘participation’ of the ‘community’ in forest conservation has become the new orthodoxy. However, proposals about local people's participation presume that defining the future of the forest is a straight contest between the alternatives of conservation or forest clearing. Such proposals also presume that the existence of communities is non-problematic. In contrast, this article documents that there is already considerable local debate about forest use and conservation, much of it among those excluded from the formal arena of politics and policy-making. Concern with ‘the environment’ includes concern about the perpetuation of society, and represents a clear continuation of West African village cosmologies focused on the societalisation of space. At the same time, conservation aims of ‘keeping the forest as it is’ have few resonances, since forest people see society itself as an artful, but often problematic, construction in which the conversion of the forest plays a central part. In conclusion, the article suggests that the key to environmental management must be for external agencies to articulate with the interests and values of those who hold a legitimate stake in African forest resources.

scholarly journals The use of non-wood forest products and forest tourism in Belarus

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-87
Author(s):  
Aleh Marozau ◽  
Nikolaj Kowbasa
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
Anthropogenic Impact ◽  
Foreign Capital ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
Foreign Markets ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
Forest Use

Abstract The aim of the research was to review the legal and regulatory framework that controls the use of non-wood forest products and tourism in forests in Belarus and to analyze current information on harvesting of non-wood forest products such as berries, mushrooms, birch sap, honey, medicinal plants, and minor forest resources as well as to study the state of ecotourism in the territory of the forest fund. We demonstrated that the legal base needs to be improved. In particular, the taxes should be redistributed from economic entities involved in collateral forest use to the Ministry of Forestry that manages the forests. Despite the increased anthropogenic impact on understory layers and the adverse global climatic changes of recent decades, the productive capacity of non-wood forest resources in Belarus remains significant. Nevertheless, the resources are not exploited appropriately, although the demand for products in the domestic and foreign markets is consistently high. In this regard, it is necessary to create suitable conditions for stakeholders, including those possessing foreign capital, to participate in economic activity, whilst preserving the coordinating and controlling functions of the Ministry of Forestry as it is the main forest fund holder in the country. Efforts are also being made to develop infrastructure for ecotourism in forests. However, the level of marketing activities aimed at promoting and providing consumers with available tourist products and services does not meet modern requirements.

scholarly journals Migration and a New Landscape of Forest Use and Conservation

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Robson ◽  
Daniel J. Klooster
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Economic Opportunities ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Rural Livelihood ◽  
Forest Use

SummaryThe nature of migration–forest linkages in migrant-sending regions is underreported and poorly understood. In rural Latin America and elsewhere, out-migration, together with agricultural crises and the deterritorialization of rural livelihood, are transforming forests and the communities that manage them. Drawing on research in indigenous communities of Oaxaca (Mexico), we identify the parameters of a new landscape of forest use and conservation, finding that: migration challenges community practices for self-governance of forest resources; declines in agriculture create new spaces for forest recovery and use; and forest conservation policies create economic opportunities around both extractive and non-extractive forest use.

scholarly journals From Planning to Action: Forest Conservation and Management in Papua New Guinea

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy MacKinnon
Keyword(s):  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Subsistence Agriculture ◽  
The Past ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Eastern Half ◽  
Conservation And Management

Papua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and still boasts 33 million hectares of closed natural forest (77% of the country), home to numerous endemic species. Overall PNG is sparsely populated with some 700 distinct cultural/ language groups. Economic growth over the past two decades has been spurred by large-scale mining, petroleum and logging operations though the majority of the population continues to rely upon subsistence agriculture (swidden) and collection and utilization of forest products. Some 15 million hectares of forests are accessible for logging, of which 1.5 million hectares have already been logged, generally in an unsustainable manner. Of the over 6 million ha of approved timber blocks more than 1.5 million hectares have been located in areas of high biological value. Forest loss and degradation is now becoming a serious problem.

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