Forest Certification Related to Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in India: Study of NTFP Harvest of Rhododendrons in Western Himalayas for Its Sustainable Use

Abstract

Forest certification is an efficient tool for the utilization of important and economically viable forest products and linking them to sustainable forest management practices ensuring their sustainable utilization. It includes social, economic, and environmental facets, thereby helping reduce the anthropogenic pressures on forest-based resources and to maintain forest ecosystem services. The western Himalayas provides many non-timber forest products (NTFPs) that are utilized by local people providing various livelihood opportunities to native Himalayan communities. Rhododendron species with bright red-pinkish flowers, belonging to genera of the Ericaceae family, found at an altitude of 1500–3000 m in the Himalayan region, is one such economically viable NTFP in the Himalayas which is harvested extensively for its varied medicinal and economic benefits. As the current trends in forest certification are gaining increasing momentum with positive impacts on people, attention to supply chains (timber and non-wood products) and ecosystem services is rising globally; our study considers the need for forest certification for the harvest of Rhododendrons in the western Himalayas. The study explores Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, which is globally one of the leading forest certification schemes, and its provisions for the Rhododendron NTFP harvest, as the scheme can be used as an efficient mechanism for encouraging sustainable use of the harvest. Certification of the Rhododendron harvest will help in adopting improved harvesting practices, as well as providing support to local communities, without influencing the health of forest-based resources in the long term. The findings of the research are discussed with respect to various benefits and challenges for NTFP certification in the study area.