Classification and management of community forests in Indian Eastern Himalayas: implications on ecosystem services, conservation and livelihoods

Singh, Ranjay K.; Hussain, Shah M.; Riba, T.; Singh, Anshuman; Padung, Egul; Rallen, Orik; Lego, Y. J.; Bhardwaj, Ajay Kumar

doi:10.1186/s13717-018-0137-5

Ecological Processes

Table 1 Indigenous knowledge of classifying local forest by Adi tribe

From: Classification and management of community forests in Indian Eastern Himalayas: implications on ecosystem services, conservation and livelihoods

Indigenous indicators	Indigenous forest typology
Indigenous indicators	Morang	Regpi	Monku	Mosam	Sirung	Home garden	Orange garden	Pineapple garden	Traditional tea garden	Village boundary forest
Plant richness	Very high	High	High	Medium	High	High	Poor	Medium	Medium	High
Animal richness	Very high	Medium	High	Poor	Medium	Nil	Nil	Nil	Medium	High
Soil color	Brown to reddish	Brown	Brown	Deep brown	Brown to reddish	Brown	Blackish	Brown	Reddish to brown	Reddish
Soil fertility	Very high	Very high	Very High	Medium	Medium to low	Medium	High	Medium	Medium	High
Topography	Highly uneven	Highly uneven	Uneven	Slightly uneven	Uneven	Plain to uneven	Uneven	Uneven	Uneven	Highly uneven
Water bodies	Available	Somewhere	Somewhere	Available	Available	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available	Somewhere
Fishing opportunity	High	Medium	Low	Very high^c	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Low
Disturbance regime	Low	Jhum cultivation	Least disturbed	Rice cultivation	Nil	Nil	Crop cultivation	Crop cultivation	Least disturbed	Low
Commercial agriculture	Nil	High	Nil	Medium^d	Least	Subsistence	Very high	Very high	Subsistence	Nil
Subsistence agriculture	Nil	Very high^b	High to medium	High to medium	Nil	Very high^e	Very low	Very low	High	Nil
Ownership	Clan and individuals	Individual to clan	Clan and individuals	Clan	Clan and individuals	Individual	Individual	Individual	Individual	Individual/Clan
Timber extraction	Very high*	Poor	Very high	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Low	Medium
Hunting	Very high	Medium	Occasional	Nil	Very rare	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Very high
Level of NTFPs extraction	Very high^a	High	Medium	Poor	Low	Medium	Nil	Nil	Low	Very high
Dominating species as major indicators	D, Ek, H, A, F, Cn, R, WB, OrS	TP^f, IB, Cn, B, Pd, Ong, OrS	IB, Ek, H, A, B	TP, O, Hl, B	B, Ek, F, Pd	TP, Tb, Ong	TP	O, TP, WC, On, B, Ong	TP, Pd,	A, Cn, D, Ek, IB, OrS, Pd TP

Source: Own analysis
Data for this table was collected through focus group discussion (FGD) and personal interview method with selected respondents and key knowledge holders such as Gaon Burha, hunters and healers. Tringulation was made to integrate all the information together
A Anke (wild chestnut), B Belang (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Cn Cane (2–3 species), D Dekang (Gymnocladus assamicus), Ek Ekkam (Phyrinum pubinerve), H Hollok (Bunopithecus hillock), Hl Hilika (Terminalia chebula Retz), IB Indigenous bamboos, O Ogjok (Bauhinia variegata), On Onger (Zanthoxylun rhesta), Ong Ongin (Clerodendrum colebrookianum), OrS Orchids (10–15 species), Pd Padanus species, Tb Tambul (areca nut), R Rinko (Coptis teeta Wall), TP Toko-patta (Levistona jenkinsiana), WB wild bananas, WC Wild citrus species
*Timber business was very high till 1990s. Now timber extraction is banned by Honorable Supreme Court of India
^aNTFPs (Non-timber forest products) are wild fruits, medicinal plants, leafy vegetables and wild tubers for rearing pig
^bSubsistence agriculture includes cultivation of rainfed paddy (high glutinous varieties preferred for food and preparing traditional alcoholic beverage- apong), mirung (finger millet), angyat (foxtail millet), 2 varieties of shapa (indigenous maize), pearl millet, sugarcane, 6–7 species of indigenous beans including namsing (soybean), cucurbit crops (3–4 species), 8–10 species of indigenous leafy vegetables, 2–3 species of tuber and 2–3 species of rhizomes
^cMost potential micro-ecosystem for fishing of 6–7 species of indigenous fishes and other aquatic animals
^dThis landscape is used for cultivating wetland paddy for food and sale in local markets by Adi women
^eHomegardens are considered as a life laboratory of learning traditional knowledge to Adi women, and significant component of integrated farming system after the regpi forest
^fToko-patta is taken as a living fence, and is a most popular multi-purpose tree species. In a few villages, community and individually owned gardens of toko-patta were recorded

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