Indian Forests: Sustainable Uses and its Role in Livelihood Security

Abstract

AbstractForests in India perform an important role in the economic and sociocultural life of the tribal people who live in and around the forests, as they support rural livelihoods and food security. India has a wide variety of forest types, including tropical evergreen, semievergreen, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, subtropical montane, temperate, alpine scrub, and mangrove forests, and the dominant plant species includes both deciduous and evergreen tree species like Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Duabanga grandiflora, Mangifera Indica, Terminalia myriocarpa, Diospyros melanoxylon, Pterocarpus marsupium, Butea monosperma, and Madhuca longifolia. Timber, fodder, fuelwood, and other variety of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) including wild edibles, oilseeds, medicinal plants, different types of resins, spices, fibres, and a variety of construction materials like bamboo, rattans, palms, and grasses are the most commonly extracted forest products of economic significance. Overgrazing and overexploitation of essential plant resources, as well as a lack of awareness and scientific understanding about plants and their harvesting, represent serious dangers to the existing plant populations of economically important plant species. The collection of rare and endangered plant species from natural settings for diverse experimental reasons, along with the natural enemies including pests and diseases, invasive weeds, and unsustainable harvesting for various economic and livelihood purposes, poses a threat to the existence of the wild population. Recognizing the ongoing depletion of these precious resources, proper management strategies should be undertaken to satisfy the growing demand and ensure their long-term viability for livelihood security and economic upliftment.KeywordsForest goods and servicesForest policiesLivelihood securityIndian forests