Importance of Non-Wood Forest Products in Joint Forest Management
Joint Forest Management is the official and popular term in for partnerships in involving both the state forest departments and local communities. Villagers agree to assist in the safeguarding of forest resources through protection from fire, grazing, and illegal harvesting in exchange for which they receive and a share of the revenue from the sale of products. Non-wood forest products are integral to the lifestyle of forest-dependent communities. They fulfil basic requirements, provide gainful employment during lean periods and supplement incomes from agriculture and wage labour. Medicinal plants have an important role in rural health. Small-scale forest-based enterprises, many of which rely on NWFPs and provides up to 50 percent of the income for about 25 percent of India’s rural labour force.