Non-Timber Forest Products of Garhbeta Forest, West Medinipur District, West Bengal

Abstract

The non-timber forest products (NTFP) in India have gained enormous attention to the forest ecologists and environmentalists due to their importance in rural livelihood enhancement, biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management. The present case study thus aims to document detail information of various forest-based resources in the Garhbeta forest of West Medinipur district in West Bengal. These resources include medicinal plants, mushrooms, wild honey, kendu-patta (leaves of Diospyrous melanoxylon tree, useful in preparing Indian beedi), fruits, barks, ischolar_mains and herbs for the chemical and herbal production, and diverse usages of sal tree (Shorea robusta) in sal leave plate and bowl production, resin, oil-cake, lamp oil, and vegetable cooking oil preparation. The dry leaves of sal tree, kendu tree and eucalyptus trees are also used as traditional cooking fuel for domestic usages throughout the year by almost all the local communities neatly stacking in the shade close to their household for future use. To this end, various NTFP resources, the provincial resource availability, cost-benefit analysis, and seasonal NTFP harvesting patterns will be analysed as an attempt to promote optimal resource management and participatory conservation of wild medicinal/herbal plants towards community economic development in the study region. In addition, discussions will be made to encourage alternative earning options in the tribal community by introducing regional forest-based handicrafts and sustainable animal husbandry in the wide but uninterrupted sal coppice forest of Garhbeta region.