Dependency of Local People on Forest Products: A Case Study in Balipara Reserve Forest, North-Eastern India

Abstract

The dependency of local people on forest products is recognised as an essential driver of sustainable forest conservation and restoration, but empirical studies evaluating it are scant. This study aimed to examine selected household attributes as determinants of people's dependency on forest products in selected villages in Balipara Reserve Forest, Assam, India. A total of 109 households were interviewed through a questionnaire survey in Dharikati and Sopaloga village, along with key informed interviews and focus group discussions with the villagers and government staff. A village-level logit model was used to analyse the pattern and degree of reliance on forest products in the two villages differing in socio-economic profiles. Results suggest that education level, livestock size, and distance to the forest as the key factors that are negatively and significantly associated with forest dependency in Dharikati; whereas, only landholding size was negatively and significantly associated with forest dependency in Sopaloga. On the other hand, the other two variables, family size and age, were insignificant. The income derived from forest has been accounted second-largest share after agricultural income to the total annual household income. Fuelwood was the major forest product and was largely extracted by the local communities. Thus, the results endorse policymakers and the forest department to take initiatives towards higher education accessibility, provision of alternative livelihood portfolios, availability of efficient sources of energy, introduction of advanced agricultural tools and encouraging the active participation of locals in biodiversity conservation and forest management.