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ArticleForest and human health with special reference to India
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Forests are intricately linked with human health for physical, mental, and social wellbeing. India has traditionally followed culture of living in and around forests. Atmospheric pollution in urban areas (due to industrialization) increases the risk of various respiratory and heart diseases. Trees not only mitigate the greenhouse effect but also absorb toxic chemicals and particulate matter, thus acting like human liver in this way. A visit to green urban areas acts like a stress buster and recharges the batteries. This has resulted in development of urban forestry hubs, creating small areas of trees: herbs and shrubs under various names such as city forest, parks, smriti/rashi/nakshatra van etc. Planting of species which may create problems as pollen pollution/wind damage/ lowering groundwater table /other kind, needs to be avoided. Forests are the largest repositories of a large variety of medicinal plants. Various medicinal systems such as Ayurveda, Allopathy, homeopathy, Unani, tribal, alternative medicine use raw material from forest. Importance of Medicinal plants has increased over the last few decades with environmental restrictions on felling of trees. Herbal remedies in India are now the responsibility of Ayush Ministry, Government of India. National Medicine Plants Board coordinates overall conservation, cultivation, trade and export of medicinal plant sector in India. A referenced digital data base from published sources is now in place. Demand and supply of medicinal plants along with list of suitable species for various ago -climatic zones has been prepared. Medicinal plants now find a proper place in the management plans of various forest divisions. To boost the cultivation of medicinal plants, a lot of grey areas have to be addressed. Government of India is already exploring possibility of long-term Public Private partnerships in degraded forests for this purpose also. Keywords: One Health, Human health and well-being, Genetic resources, Innovation, Knowledge management. ID: 3484385 -
ArticleDegradation of tribal forest-ecosystem and food insecurity among Kutia Kondh tribe of Odisha - a major concern in the 21st century
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Tribal People look after their forest in such a way no one can’t as they depend solely on forest for their livelihood, also they worship their forest as God. One such tribe called Kutia Kondha of Odisha (specially located in Kalahandi & Bolangir districts) protect the forest since ages and due to their indigenous agricultural practice(Podu cultivation) they are able to grow nutritious grains and other food. Their practice helps to conserve the agro ecosystem as well as forest ecosystem, but due to intervention of Government and other agencies they fear their forest will no longer sustain and their livelihood is in stake so also their food security because of massive Teak plantation programme. When the whole World is focusing on Food security measures, at this juncture the tribal forest ecosystem on which the tribal people depends for the NTFP for their sustenance is being destroyed in the name of “Development” which is the dark side of Sustainability campaign. Scientifically, due to such programme the nutritious grains like Millets which are majorly grown by tribal can’t be grown henceforth which is the major concern as they are now start eating poisonous food i.e the underground portion of certain wild plants. This causes severe health hazards to these tribal people. In a survey it is found that about 78% of tribal population is suffering from hunger related complications and about 82% children are suffering from various food poison and other unknown diseases which sometimes lead to premature death. Also about 92% of tribal population (forest dwellers) has now changed their food habit due to non availability of land for their indigenous cultivation practices which is another factor for their food insecurity. In conclusion the coordination of 3 “E” is important as lack of proper education and less access to ecology will lead to a degraded economy. Keywords: Climate change, Food systems Deforestation and forest degradation, Human health and wellbeing, Sustainable forest management ID: 3654134 -
ArticleMissing the food from the woods: the case of Soliga tribes of Western Ghats, India
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Forest dependent indigenous communities have traditionally fulfilled their dietary requirements from a range of locally available food resources. For Soliga tribes of Biligirirangana Hills (BR Hills) in India’s Western Ghats, gathering of wild berries, tubers and mushrooms, shifting cultivation of millets, legumes and vegetables within the forests and small game hunting have habitually supported food and subsistence needs. Over the years, the traditional food practices have transformed drastically, driven by conservation policies that resulted in the resettlement of Soligas to forest peripheries, a ban on traditional fire practices and consequent colonization of forests by invasive species, altering the forest composition and leading to decline of wild food resources. We trace the trajectory of changes in Soliga food systems using a combination of methodologies ranging from a comprehensive literature review and expert interviews to household surveys in three Soliga settlements in BR Hills. Our study reveals the diminishing importance of forests as source of food and income and shift from food crops to cash crops in farms in forest peripheries to avert crop raids by wildlife. Dependence on forest produce collection and farming was found to vary based on the allocation of tribal land rights and the location of the settlements with respect to the forest type and availability of markets. While existing literature and expert respondents recognize the changing forest dynamics and the immense ecological knowledge of Soligas that complements forest conservation efforts, the nexus between forests, farming and health and nutrition of the tribe was hardly appreciated. Improved access to public food distribution system and evolving cultural preferences has increased the dependence on external markets for food. We further discuss the repercussions of these transitions on nutritional security and food sovereignty of the community. Keywords: Food systems, Human health and well-being, Biodiversity conservation, Agriculture, Sustainable Forest management ID: 3483228
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