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<p>Forests play a vital role in protecting biodiversity, maintaining ecological equilibrium and hold substantial economic importance, offering critical livelihood opportunities for millions of individuals globally. Rural livelihood is significantly dependent on forest essentials like fuelwood, fodder, timber, medicine and food. The study focused on assessing the socio-economic conditions and forest resource dependency of the <i>Van Gujjars</i> in the Tarai region of Uttarakhand, India. <i>Van Gujjars</i> is a semi-nomadic community residing in the forest area of northern regions in India and their livelihood is heavily dependent on forest resources. They are major pastoral tribes of India and generate income from the milk production. The present study estimated the level of dependency on forests for households and identified the factors that influence this dependency. Additionally, the study examined how the consumption of fuelwood and fodder varies among the different settlements of the Van Gujjar community. Three different settlements were selected based on the dominance and population of the <i>Van-Gujjars.</i> To assess the impact of socio-economic factors on forest resource dependence, logistic binary regression analysis was employed. The analysis revealed that age (β =  − 0.00, p = 0.049*), household size (β = 0.346, p = 0.005*), and livestock ownership (β = 0.026, p = 0.025*), significantly influenced forest dependency. In each settlement, animal husbandry was the primary source of livelihood, with an average of 24.19 ± 6.6 adult cattle unit per household. Firewood consumption in the study area averaged 12.30 ± 0.82&#xa0;kg per day per household, varying with settlement, household size, and seasons. Similarly, livestock consumed an average of 20.09 ± 0.7&#xa0;kg of fodder per day per household. For the assessment of preferred tree species by the Van Gujjars for firewood, fodder, timber, and medicinal purposes the study identified 22 tree species which meet their diverse needs. The study concludes that the heavy reliance of the Van Gujjars on forest resources poses challenges to forest management sustainability efforts. As long as the demand of forest products exceeds the supply, neither sustainability nor the improvement of living conditions for the Van Gujjars can be achieved in the region. This study also suggests the steps to implement cross-sectoral and long-term strategies to address the issue of forest resource dependency. This involves the participation of all stakeholders, including local communities, in the decision-making process.</p>

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Socio-economy and dependency of Van Gujjars on the forests of Tarai region of Central Himalaya

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年3月25日

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  • Mohd. Arif Ansari,
  • Ashish Tewari,
  • Ikramjeet Maan

摘要

Forests play a vital role in protecting biodiversity, maintaining ecological equilibrium and hold substantial economic importance, offering critical livelihood opportunities for millions of individuals globally. Rural livelihood is significantly dependent on forest essentials like fuelwood, fodder, timber, medicine and food. The study focused on assessing the socio-economic conditions and forest resource dependency of the Van Gujjars in the Tarai region of Uttarakhand, India. Van Gujjars is a semi-nomadic community residing in the forest area of northern regions in India and their livelihood is heavily dependent on forest resources. They are major pastoral tribes of India and generate income from the milk production. The present study estimated the level of dependency on forests for households and identified the factors that influence this dependency. Additionally, the study examined how the consumption of fuelwood and fodder varies among the different settlements of the Van Gujjar community. Three different settlements were selected based on the dominance and population of the Van-Gujjars. To assess the impact of socio-economic factors on forest resource dependence, logistic binary regression analysis was employed. The analysis revealed that age (β =  − 0.00, p = 0.049*), household size (β = 0.346, p = 0.005*), and livestock ownership (β = 0.026, p = 0.025*), significantly influenced forest dependency. In each settlement, animal husbandry was the primary source of livelihood, with an average of 24.19 ± 6.6 adult cattle unit per household. Firewood consumption in the study area averaged 12.30 ± 0.82 kg per day per household, varying with settlement, household size, and seasons. Similarly, livestock consumed an average of 20.09 ± 0.7 kg of fodder per day per household. For the assessment of preferred tree species by the Van Gujjars for firewood, fodder, timber, and medicinal purposes the study identified 22 tree species which meet their diverse needs. The study concludes that the heavy reliance of the Van Gujjars on forest resources poses challenges to forest management sustainability efforts. As long as the demand of forest products exceeds the supply, neither sustainability nor the improvement of living conditions for the Van Gujjars can be achieved in the region. This study also suggests the steps to implement cross-sectoral and long-term strategies to address the issue of forest resource dependency. This involves the participation of all stakeholders, including local communities, in the decision-making process.