Sustainable uses of non-timber forest products among the tribes in bhoramdeo wild life sanctuary in Kawardha district of Chhatisgarh

Abstract

This study assessed tribes households objective for gathering Non-Timber Forest Produce in Bhoramdeo Wild Life Sanctuary in Kawardha district of Chhatisagrh, with specific focus on identifying some species of Non-Timber Forest Produce present in the area. Tribes residing in and around Bhoramdeo Wild Life Sanctuary are progressively dependent on NTFPs for sustain their livelihood instead of utilizing it as a prospective income source and for their socio-economic development. Identifying reasons why they engaged in the gathering of the Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFPs) as well as determining the relative importance of the identified reasons to the households. One hundred and twenty questionnaires were randomly administered on respondents from randomly selected fifty six respondents. The study identified some species of Non-Timber Forest Produce that were found in the study area. These include tendu leaf (Diospyros melanoxylon), char (Buchanania lanzan), mahul leaf (Bauhinia vahlii), chiraita (Andrographis paniculata) and a host of others. The relative importance of the given reasons was also determined and it was discovered that food security was the most important reason the tribes engaged in Non-Timber Forest Produce gathering while continuity objective was ranked least.