Forest Research: Open Access
Open Access

Non-Timber Forest Products and their Necessity for the Livelihood

Baodong Cheng^{* *}Correspondence: Baodong Cheng, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China, Email:

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Description

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) are forest products made from both plants and animals that frequently aren't utilized to fill a country's coffers. These products have been utilized for a variety of uses throughout human history, including food, fibre, traditional medicine, agricultural tools, home goods, construction materials, and so on. These goods are also linked to a variety of traditional cultures and beliefs. The purpose of this research was to assess the economic significance of NTFPs used by rural people living in the area adjacent to the reserve forest, the importance of NTFPs in their daily lives, and the gaps in government strategies for their preservation in northeast India's Hills Reserve Forest.

Markets were surveyed to determine the commercially significant NTFPs and their local currency values. A close-ended inquiry made specifically for this purpose was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 200 respondents about the NTFPs' marketing and harvesting procedures. The people of the outlying villages were discovered to be using 14 economically significant NTFPs. These were utilized in various ways for agricultural products (40%) and food (34%). Herbs (64.28%) were the most commonly used plant kind, followed by shrubs (14.28%) and trees (21.43%).

The stem was most frequently used (50%) among the various plant parts, followed by leaves (15%) and fruits (14%). Over majority of the villagers were found to depend on NTFPs to some extent for daily livelihood, with 18%being just slightly dependent and another 6% being totally dependent on the forest products. The analysis found that the underlying reason of species decrease is unsustainable harvesting of NTFPs, and it suggests that unlawful and unsustainable methods of NTFP harvesting be halted in order to reduce rural poverty. Sustainable NTFP harvesting under government supervision is also advised.

Applications

• All over the world, NTFPs are still harvested in large quantities. Harvesting also goes by the identities wild-crafting, gathering, collecting, and foraging.

• People harvest NTFPs for a wide range of reasons, including household subsistence, maintenance of cultural and familial traditions, spiritual fulfillment, physical and emotional wellbeing, house heating and cooking, animal feeding, indigenous medicine and healing, scientific learning, and income.

• People harvest NTFPs for a wide range of reasons, including household subsistence, maintenance of cultural and familial traditions, spiritual fulfillment, physical and emotional wellbeing, house heating and cooking, animal feeding, indigenous medicine and healing, scientific learning, and income.

• NTFPs are also utilized as raw materials by a variety of businesses, including microenterprises engaged in a wide range of activities as well as large-scale floral greens suppliers and pharmaceutical firms (such as basket-making, woodcarving, and the harvest and processing of various medicinal plants).

• Currently, more than 28,000 plant species are known to have therapeutic properties, and many of them may still found in forest regions.

• Activities to forests can improve one's physical and mental health, and many individuals feel a strong spiritual connection to them.

Conclusion

The analysis found a diverse range of NTFPs in the field survey, but their method of RF extraction is unsustainable, the main factor contributing to the decline of the species. The forest service should severely enforce regulations against illegal forest degradation and non-sustainable NTFP harvesting methods. Desire for a small number of species may be advantageous in the short run, but NTFPs are crucial for the long-term preservation of biodiversity. The species' economic benefit and significance can be used to focus attention on conservation and sustainable harvesting. Sustainable NTFP harvesting practices and development should always be emphasized in order to reduce rural residents' levels of poverty.