Utilization of non-timber forest products in humid tropics: Implications for management and livelihood Debabrata Saha, R.C. Sundriyal ⁎ G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, North East Unit, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh - 791111, India abstract article info Article history: Received 14 April 2010 Received in revised form 15 July 2011 Accepted 15 July 2011 Available online 23 August 2011 Keywords: Non-timber forest products Commercial extraction Consumption pattern Forest management Rural income Community livelihood Community dependence on forest resources for diverse needs has high implications for long term management of forests. Sustainable extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is considered best feasible strategy for forest conservation in biodiversity rich areas. This paper examines the heterogeneity of NTFPs use by tribal communities in northeast India, a global hot spot by examining diversity of NTFPs at-large, its consumption pattern, and contribution to rural income and forest revenue. A total of 343 NTFPs recorded used for diverse purposes by tribal communities. When species choice grouped as per use category, utilization for medicinal (163 species), edible fruits (75 species) and vegetables (65 species) purposes was reasonably high. Community dependence on forest resources was 100% for firewood and house construction material. 76 plant species were sold in three major local markets while an additional 22 species traded at commercial scale mainly outside the state. NTFPs contributed 19–32% of total household income for different tribal communities, which was significant. Illicium griffithii, Rubia cordifolia, Oroxylum indicum, Swertia chirayita, Litsea sebifera, Taxus wallichiana, Valeriana jatamansii, Thalictrum foliolosum, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Everniastrum cirrhatum, Cordyceps sinensis, Aconitum fletcherianum, Nardostachys jatamansi, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Gymnadenia orchidis, Calamus, Quercus and Pinus roxbughii were important commercial species. NTFPs also generated substantial revenue to the State government, though it is falling year after year, which is alarming. To meet community livelihoods, income and forest revenue from NTFPs, it desires a thorough management plan and policy guidelines for these resources from all line departments. The knowledge on diversity, its consumption pattern, and contribution to rural income and forest revenue may enable planners to accurately plan sustainable management of NTFP resources and community development in near future. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Forest resources have always played a significant role in survival and income of forest dwellers (Barbier et al., 1994; Peters et al., 1989). Forest resources contribute nearly US$ 100 billion value of non- timber forest products (NTFPs) and timber to human society (Sharma et al., 1998). The importance of commercial NTFPs to livelihood strategies of rural people is increasingly recognized in recent times (Larsen et al., 2000). In the tropics, the NTFPs are the important source of livelihoods to rural communities particularly for their food, medicines, and raw materials for house construction as well as firewood consumption (Martin, 1995; Wollenberg, 2000; Wollenberg and Ingles, 1999). The community attitude towards forest resources vary depending on distance of forest, availability of resource and access status (Sundriyal and Sundriyal, 2004). Rural people depend on a wide variety of plant and animal products for their use as well as marketing, a few others have commercial value and generate substantial revenue (Sundriyal and Sundriyal, 2004). It is reported that at least 150 NTFPs are internationally traded, comprising nuts, honey, palm heart, plants and animals of pharmaceutical uses, rattan and bamboo, cork, essential oils, and gum (FAO, 1997). During early 1990s NTFPs were considered as a potential alternative to defores- tation and land conversion (Falconer, 1990; Plotkin and Famolare, 1992) and also a means of sustainable forest management and poverty alleviation (Peters et al., 1989; Ros-Tonen, 2000). The organized harvesting of NTFPs can lead to sustainable development by increasing income to rural communities and by enhancing the value of forest resources, thereby providing an incentive for conservation (Richards, 1993; Ruiz Pérez and Arnold, 1996; Newmann and Hirsch, 2000). Agricultural production from tribal lands is inadequate as it just maintains a household at subsistence level, and hence communities depend on NTFPs collection (Saxena, 1995; Papola, 2000). In view of high market value, demand and incomes from selected NTFPs, it is emphasized that long-term value accruing from the harvest of such products could override the short term gain of converting forests or individual trees to other uses such as timber, agriculture or plantation Forest Policy and Economics 14 (2012) 28–40 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Herbal Research and Development Institute, Gopeshwar (Chamoli) - 246401, Uttarakhand, India. Tel.: + 91 1373 252572; fax: + 91 1372 253855. E-mail address: sundriyalrc@yahoo.com (R.C. Sundriyal). 1389-9341/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2011.07.008 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Forest Policy and Economics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/forpol