P. C. Phondani

An inventory of indigenous knowledge and cultivation practices of medicinal plants in Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Himalaya, India.

This paper presents the results of a study on the indigenous knowledge of local medicinal practitioners known as Vaidhyas and other knowledgeable people of Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary. The purpose was to document indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants and develop strategies for their cultivation to sustain the traditional healthcare system and livelihood of the rural inhabitants. Since knowledge of uses of various medicinal plants is confined to mostly traditional herbal healers, it is of utmost importance to document this knowledge for future generations. We have documented 33 plant species belonging to 32 genera and 28 families used traditionally to cure 28 diseases. The paper also analyses the linkages of various institutions working for medicinal plant cultivation, along with opportunities and constraints in this sector. A survey was conducted to collect information regarding medicinal plant cultivation and the possibilities of cultivating species in the area. The perception of local people on illegal harvesting and cultivation options of medicinal plants in the area is also discussed.

Promoting and Enhancing Sustainable Livelihood Options as an Adaptive Strategy to Reduce Vulnerability and Increase Resilience to Climate Change Impact in the Central Himalaya

In the rural landscape of the central Himalaya, livelihoods of the people depend heavily on agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry sectors and they are inextricably connected with each other. The role of forest goods and services in sustaining the productivity of the agriculture and animal husbandry is immense. The central Himalayan region has a number of characteristics that increase the region’s vulnerability to climate change impacts. Higher population and poverty, coupled with low resilience to climate risks, make the region highly vulnerable to climate change. Livelihoods of majority of the poor/marginal and traditional societies are heavily dependent on natural resources particularly in the hilly region. Changes in the availability of the resources, accentuated by climate risks, are expected to have far-reaching implications. These risks could undermine the gains made in poverty reduction and livelihoods and impede progress towards meeting the desired national development goals. International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has confirmed that we are now locked into inevitable changes in climate system. Changes on climate such as mean temperature, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events as well as changes in precipitation pattern, sea level rise and glaciers retreat have been projected. Although there is a lack of certainty in predicting and quantifying climate change impacts on socio-economic systems, it is well known that climate change impacts threaten a major dimension of human well being, namely food security. These climate change related risks threaten approximately 70 % of the rural people largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture in the central Himalaya. For the rural poor, human security is synonymous with food security. Extreme droughts or untimely heavy rains have often led not only to loss of life, but also an exacerbation of poverty conditions through the degradation of the natural resource base, leading to increase in poverty particularly in low income groups. Hence, low income group or poor people are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.