The document discusses sustainable harvesting practices of Minor Forest Products (MFPs) through conservation of the environment and biodiversity. It outlines that MFP collection can be less damaging than felling trees if done appropriately through scientific and local knowledge. However, over-exploitation from factors like lack of regeneration threaten species. Sustainable forest management aims to balance production and conservation without degrading the forest. The document proposes various solutions like leaving parts of plants during harvesting to encourage natural regeneration and controlling unsustainable practices.

1. scientific harvesting practices of
MFP through Environmental
Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation
Dr N Sai Bhaskar Reddy
13/7/2021

2. MFP
Collection
The role of MFP production and harvesting
in conservation is based on the assumption
that the collection of fruits or tapping latex is
less damaging than felling trees. MFP were
therefore considered as a low impact forest
use compatible with forest conservation.
Harvesting methods and levels must be
appropriate to the species or species group,
and should reflect scientific, local and/or
indigenous knowledge.

3. Challenges
• These challenges to the species are emerging from factors such
as over-exploitation, browsing, trade of parts, interspecific
competition, interspecific competition from exotics, pests, lack
of regeneration, un-scientific methods of collection.
• The number of seedlings was less or nil under the trees which
are over harvested for fruits. For regeneration and support of
wild life, these studies have suggested harvest of only 50% of
fruits.
• To overcome the loss due to low returns, the collector tries to
maximize gains in the short period by engaging in destructible
practices such as pollarding, lopping and felling of trees.

4. Challenges
Although being potentially beneficial for local
livelihood at the short term this commercial
extraction of MFP is not always sustainable.
The larger the market for a MFP, the higher
becomes its value and the greater the danger
of overexploitation.
Only products which can be harvested without
killing the individual plant or animal, which are
abundant, or which regenerate easily offer
good prospects for sustainable management.

5. Sustainable
forest
management
Sustainable forest management is the
process of managing permanent forest
land to achieve one or more clearly
specified objectives of management with
regards to the production of a continuous
flow of desired forest products and
services without undue reduction of its
inherent values and future productivity
and without undue undesirable effects on
the physical and social environment’

7. Awareness
When the roots of Satawar (Asparagus racemosus) are dug
out, the big and small roots are separated. The bigger roots
are washed with water, dried and stored. The smaller roots
are separated along with the disc and stored in sand in a
cool place without washing. These very roots are used as
planting material for the next season.
During harvesting of Safed musli (Chlorophytum
borivilianum) one or two roots along with the disc are left
in the soil. They lie dormant and sprout in the next rainy
season, thus naturally propagating itself.
The roots of Nagarmotha (Cyperus rotundus) are dug out
in Oct.-Jan. But if only the black roots are taken out and
the unripe red roots are allowed to remain in the soil, they
sprout again in the next rainy season to produce another
plant, thus ensuring sustainability.

8. Sustainable
harvesting
methods
In order to develop sustainable harvesting methods a
number of key-ecological questions has to be
answered (e.g. phenology, ecology, reproduction
biology) in order to determine best harvesting
practices, species and best suiting areas. The
determination of a sustainable harvesting level
depends on information on volume and reproduction.
Existing scientific inventory methods are not easily
adjustable to local circumstances and are not easily
understood and interpreted by local management

9. TRIBAL DEPARTMENT | GCC | FOREST DEPARTMENT
Over the years, new sets of guidelines have also been issued
especially for development of tribals, recognition of their rights on
forest lands.
NTFPs are a critical component for the sustenance for around 50
million people residing in and around forests throughout India.
Forest department enjoyed monopoly over the forest management

10. Sate as regulating
authority,
The tribals as the
collectors or
suppliers
The Nature as the
resource base.

12. dwindling forest
cover and supply
of NTFPs,
growing global
market for
natural materials
growing emphasis
on participatory
management of
the forest

13. The increased demand of the NTFPs and NTFP related products
has made the collectors to ignore the age old practices of
collection of these products and this has led to unsustainable
extraction of these resources in various parts of the country.
Sustainability of the these forest resources and the practices
required for sustainable extraction of the NTFPs

14. Dependency on MFP collection has
come down due to lack of MFP
availability in the wild / forest.
Alternative sources of income from
agriculture and MGNREGA works – it
means the time spent for collecting the
MFP in a day as a source of income, is
less than from other sources.
A common perception of community members as expressed
during the interaction with GCC members in three ITDAs

18. Example Impact Solution
1 Eppa Puvvu Lighting fire underneath Mahua
tree for collection of flowers
leading to Accidental fires,
destroying other trees and wild life
Climbing Mahua trees for flowers /
laying a sheet underneath the tree
/ controlled fire as per the norms
for fire under supervision by the
respective authorities and taking
necessary precautions.
2 Maredu Gaddalu (Decalpis
Hamiltonii)
Over exploitation or collection of
the roots. Leaving very little for
regeneration.
Sustainable collection of the roots.
(Remember Hardins Tragedy of the
Commons - individuals are short-
term, self-interested "rational"
actors, seeking to maximize their
own gains. Such actors will exploit
commons as long as they believe
the costs to them individually are
less than the benefits.)

19. Example Impact Solution
3 Honey collection Appearance of less honey bee hives
in the forest area
Understating the status of
dependent biodiversity and
conservation. Learning and
implementing sustainable
harvesting practices.
4 Chilla Ginjalu (nirmali seeds) -
Strychnos potatorum Linn.
Cutting branches of the trees for
easy collection of the seeds
Decreased collection in the
successive years or total loss of the
tree itself
5 Kondagogu
Gum karaya or gum sterculia
Improper harvesting – damaging
the bark of the tree and might lead
to death of the tree and decreased
yield in the successive years
Responsible harvesting, need to get
trained on harvesting – improvised
tools and skill

20. There are different views on potential implications of better
incomes from the NTFP for those who collect and engage in
the value addition of such products.
Some consider that development of NTFPs increases the
danger of unsustainable exploitation or over – exploitation of
the NTFP.
There are also advocates in support of increased price for the
NTFP and better wages as the best guarantee for more
careful and investments for sustainable collection practices.

21. GCC approved MFP collection
1 Gum Karaya
2 Gum Thiruman
3 Gum Oliganum
4 Gum Kondagogu
5 Gum Dikamali
6 Myrobalans
7 Nuxvomica
8 Seeded Tamarind
9 Deseeded Tamarind
10 Tamarind Seed
11 Pungam Seed
12 Cleaning nuts
13 Marking nuts
14 Mohuwa Seed
15 Mohuwa Flower
16 Honey
17 Sheekakai
18 Soap nuts
19 Hill Brooms
20 Wild Brooms
21 Adda leaf
22 Naramamidi Bark
23 Maredugeddalu
24 Others & Agricultural crops (11)
25 Medicinal Herbs (12 herbs)

23. Deforestation also referred to as degradation or loss of forests needs to be controlled or hopefully stopped.
It is well recognized that timber felling damages forests.
Fuelwood and timber should be used wisely and not wasted.
Forest fire needs to be monitored and damage control measures need to be taken at the right time. Fire has a
tremendous impact on ground nesting birds, reptiles or even young ones of larger animals like deer and tiger.
Measures and interest need to be channelled towards regrowing trees and increasing the land cover for
forests. Reforestation and afforestation need to be promoted
Care and habitation need to be provided to extinct species and efforts need to be taken to save them from
becoming extinct.

24. Products are now being exploited, not for subsistence consumption
by a few forest dwellers in remote areas, but to supply organized
industries that are catering to a huge and growing urban
middleclass and elite. Take for instance the honey collected from
the forest – it gets labeled and exported as a premium product.
In Central India and West Bengal faulty techniques of collecting
mohuwa flowers have caused considerable damage to the natural
stock and regeneration.

25. The variety, and rates at which these products
are being exploited have serious implications
for the survival of wildlife. Some items are
food for wildlife. They are often consumed in
times of greatest nutritional stress. Depriving
wildlife species of this nutrition at critical
times will have adverse effects on their health
and numbers in unimaginable ways.

26. The other thing about NTFP is that the method of
exploitation itself is often very dangerous to wildlife
and forests. So, the impact of these very innocuous
sounding collection activities is quite hard on wildlife
and natural habitats.
• Many of the extractive methods involve destroying the tree or the
plant; others involve heavy usage that affects regeneration.
• Many minor forest product collection methods are cruel – for
example, the use of fire is a common method to collect various
kinds of fruits and nuts; fire is commonly associated with minor
forest product collection or honey collection.

27. Roads, check dams, and aggressive
vegetation manipulations are now the
order of the day, simply because a lot
of money can be spent on these
activities. These are destroying the
last remnants of natural habitat in our
best-protected wildlife habitats.

28. There is need for national regulatory authority
like the TRIFED to facilitate standard procedures
and norms that state agencies and other
agencies could follow in valuation,
procurement, safety nets for the NTFP
collectors, assistance and support for value
addition, sale procedure, taxes, and
transportation norms.