Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 6(4), October 2007, pp. 619-629 Dynamics of sustainable livestock and natural resources management Ranjay K Singh 1* & Amish K Sureja 2 1 Division of Agricultural Extension, 2 Division of Vegetable Science College of Horticulture and Forestry, Central Agricultural University, Pasighat 791 102, Arunachal Pradesh E-mail: ranjay_jbp@rediffmail.com Received 21 November 2005; revised 28 February 2006 The traditional communities derive both their socio-cultural and spiritual identity from land and forest for which a dynamic body of traditional knowledge and many socio-cultural institutions tested over centuries, flexible and collective in nature were evolved to sustain and mange the natural resources. Looking to the importance of this dynamics, an attempt has been made to explore the knowledge and practices pertaining to livestock and natural resources management governed by traditional knowledge and rural social institutions. To achieve the objective, the livestock owners from different ethnoculture from different villages of Dindori and Chhindwara districts, Madhya Pradesh were selected purposively. Various ethnographic tools, conventional methods like personal interview and participatory tools were adopted to explore and interpret the data. A range of locally available plant and other materials are widely used for curing many diseases and ailments of livestock. The indigenous biodiversity including local grasses, shrubs and trees are dynamically associated with local feeds, forages and are over all part of natural resources management of livestock owners. Still more preference is given to rear the local breeds of different livestock on account of their socio-cultural and spiritual compatibility resulting in conservation of biological diversity. Various social (Sajha) and cultural (Pola) institutional arrangements and traditional knowledge codified in local language are adopted to select, purchase, manage and improve the breeds of livestock. The ecological diversities in which pasture lands are categorized in to private and common property and associated with customary rules and culture play a significant role in sustainable use, conservation and management of the natural resources. Keywords: Traditional knowledge, Ethnoveterinary practices, Social institutions, Natural resources management IPC Int. Cl. 8 : A61K36/00, A23K1/00, D01C1/00 The indigenous knowledge (IK) tuned to local culture, social system, need based, tested over the centuries, dynamic in nature allow the local people to adapt to social and ecological attributes and play an important role for food security and overall enhancement of the sustainability of natural resources 1 . IK is the basis for local decision making in agriculture, health, natural resource management and is embedded in community practices, institutions and cultural rituals. It is tacit in nature, not easily codifiable, and an under utilized resource in the development process 2,3 . Locally evolved institutional arrangements governed by stable communities have sustained resources successfully for centuries, although they often fail when rapid change occurs 4 . In relation to natural resources management, var ious aspects of ethnoveterinary medicine, vegetation taxonomy, water and forestry resources, tenure arrangements, mobility patterns and breeding concepts have been described 5-10 . Most importantly, investing in the exchange of IK and its integration into the assistance programs of the developmental agencies can help to reduce poverty and is a valuable resource for natural resources conservation and sustainable development 11-13 . The local knowledge pertaining to ethnoveterinary and natural resources deals with folk belief, culture, knowledge, skills and methods and practices pertaining to the healthcare of livestock 14,15 . Ethnoveterinary practices are important to the local livestock owners as they treat a range of various livestock diseases and abnormalities. They are cost effective and locally available to common pastoralist can be used without much technical instruction. They are safe and over dose, and toxicity are practically unheard of ethnoveterinary practices 16 . Traditional livestock owners and their practices represent a valuable, but as yet untapped resource for extending many aspects of basic animal healthcare, especially to poor and small holder producers in remote or difficult environments 15 . The importance of pastoralists’ IK for sustainable natural resource management depends on the ‘self organising’ capacity of pastoral systems _____________ *Corresponding author