Biological resources and poverty alleviation in the Indian Himalayas

Abstract

The Indian Himalaya is a vast landscape supporting a wide range of habitat diversity, from alpine meadows to tropical forests and cold deserts. Many plant species serve as important resources for the livelihood of local communities but in recent decades, over-exploitation of firewood, fodder, timber, food sources and medicinal plants has threatened their sustainable supply. For centuries, the sustainable use of biodiversity has been a well-proven tool for both biological conservation and the alleviation of poverty. This paper examines the use of wild biological resources such as medicinal plants, edibles, orchids, rhododendrons and ethnobiological knowledge packages for reducing poverty in the Indian Himalaya. It further compares biodiversity resources in the northwestern and northeastern parts of India, particularly the Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim states, with a wider interpretation for Himalaya as a whole. The two states are compared in their conservation approaches and use of resources. Various conservation approaches used by local people and/or governments are examined for their long-term viability. Assessing populations of targeted species is essential before they should be used as resources, the ideal choice being the cultivation of high market-value taxa coupled with local entrepreneurship. Also discussed are sustainable strategies to multiply the resources and conserve the source gene bank in the wilderness. The role of civil society is recognized as an essential component of conservation management and with the help of scientific institutions stakeholders can develop the capacity to create bioresource-based entrepreneurships that also meet broader conservation and poverty reduction objectives. The threat of climate change to the availability of biodiversity is also discussed and a framework is presented for further action.