Deutscher Tropentag, October 8 - 10, 2003 in Göttingen "Technological and Institutional Innovations for Sustainable Rural Development"

Non-Timber Forest Product and its Role in the Local Economy – The Case of Bandhavgarh National Park, India

University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF), Germany

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) play a major role in sustaining livelihoods of people in rural areas. In a country like India, with has more than half of it's population living in rural areas and a large tribal population, reliance on forest products for meeting their daily requirements and income generation is crucial. The term NTFP encompasses a wide range of forest produce including fruits, nuts, berries, honey, seeds, grasses, gums & resins, medicinal plants and fuelwood.

This poster makes an attempt to show the degree of reliance of people on NTFP collection and it's role for the survival of the people. This is done through a case study of people living in Bandhavgarh National Park , India, based on a field study conducted in 2001. The study revealed that the majority of the sampled households (97%) collected NTFP. Besides being an important food source for people and their livestock, NTFP collection also contributed substantially to household income (26%). Of the six sources of income for the people living inside the park including agricultural production, livestock rearing, working for the forest department, working outside the park, other alternative sources of income, NTFP collection comprised the most important source of income along with work for the forest department. As it is a national park, NTFP collection was banned in the park in 1990 but the government was forced to restart the collection of NTFP in the area in view of the importance of NTFP for people living in and near the park.

Keywords: Bandhavgarh national park, India, local people, non-timber forest products

Contact Address: Puja Sawhney, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF), Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany, e-mail: sawhney_prediffmail.com