Forest Resource Utilization by Tribal Community of Jaunsar, Uttarakhand

The life of Jaunsaris, a tribal community of Jaunsar Bawar of Dehra Dun District, depends mainly on farming and forest resources. Farming in Jaunsar is of subsistence nature and heavily depending on rains. Therefore utilization of forest resources is the key for survival of the people of Jaunsar. This study provides details about the use of forest resources ranging from wild edible food to the non food items by these hilly tribal. Data was collected based on a pre tested questionnaire containing arrays of forest resources being utilized by them from 302 randomly selected households distributed in 34 villages of the region. This paper discusses about the use of forest resource and its contribution for the survival of the community. It classified forest resources based on characteristics of use by the Jaunsaries as consumption goods, durable goods, agricultural inputs, inputs for other production and asset formation. The proportion of households using forest resources has also been explored under different categories. Study clearly showed the dependency of this community on the forest, utilizing its resources for different requirements. Depletion of the forest is very critical for the survival of Jaunsaris. Therefore, policy makers must consider those policy instruments, which should conserve the forest besides providing the alternate solutions for these resources.