Livelihood Security and Forest Resource Extraction by Forest Fringe Communities in Indian Himalayan Region

Unsustainable exploitation of resources from forests often leads to forest degradation. A number of studies have reported the negative impacts of overexploitation of forest resources and its influence in loss of the diversity of native species in various regions. The correlation analysis between overall forest resources utilization pattern and forest products consumption pattern and various independent variables of the respondents have exhibited positive and significant association with size of landholding, farm income, farming composition, fanning experience and herd size. Increased household size and low level of literate population greatly influence the quantity of forest products gathered. A positive relationship between incomes and fodder consumption has been reported for fodder collection resources. The correlation between income and fuelwood consumption has largely been found negative. Agricultural induced land-use change has been the leading cause of forest degradation in developing countries. Livelihood induced forest extraction like grazing, fuelwood removal, etc., has also depleted the biomass of the forests of India. Basically, in rural and urban sectors of India, most of the population primarily depends on forests to meet their requirement. Joint forest management (JFM) is conceived as an efficient strategy for sustainable development of the people. Sustainable extraction of forest resources by the forest dwellers has been emphasized as a prominent strategy for their income and employment generation. Agroforestry plantation is recognized as the most competent land-use option for ensured sustainable development, increased productivity of land, eased environmental stress, and enhanced livelihoods.