The significance of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) is being increasingly realized through better understanding of their value to the economy as well to the environment. Emphasis is increasing on the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. The role of NTFPs in the overall socioeconomic wellbeing of the communities living around forests is better understood today. It is now realized that NTFPs play an important role in the household food security of rural populations in most developing countries. Furthermore, it is understood that the benefits are even more significant for women and for the tribals and other disadvantaged classes of society. Hence, it was felt opportune to compile relevant current information on NTFPs since such information was not readily available in one volume. This book is a compilation of in-depth articles on selected topics by a panel of expert forestry scientists of India, covering the widest possible range of subjects falling within ‘Non-Timber Forest Products of India’. The book attains greater significance today in the back-drop of a general ban on green felling; a radical shift of policy makers and planners away from viewing forests purely as a source of timber-based revenue; and the present emphasis on JFM as a major thrust towards both economic betterment and sustainable conservation. The authors have brought out the telling fact that the revenue and employment potential of NTFPs (especially among the tribals and rural masses) is far greater than that of pure timber alone. The burgeoning interest in medicinal plants and herbs of forest origin and the vital conservation issues arising therefrom are discussed in detail. The book is a must for policy makers, planners, forestry professionals and all concerned with and about forests and sustainable development.
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