Financial valuation of non-timber forest product flows in Uttara Kannada district, Western Ghats, Karnataka.

摘要

A study was undertaken to evaluate the flow of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Uttara Kannada district, Western Ghats, Karnataka, India. NTFPs are being collected in different forest zones of the district. The diversity, however, varies with availability and local knowledge, with communities gathering approximately 50% of the species available in the evergreen zone to approximately 40% in the semi evergreen and dry deciduous zones and only 13% in the moist deciduous zone. Significant quantities of NTFPs are gathered in all the four zones and the estimated value of NTFPs realized per household varies between Rs 3445/household in the evergreen zone and Rs 1233/household in the dry deciduous zone. Similarly, the financial value realized per hectare also varies across the four forest zones studied and ranges from Rs 634 in the dry deciduous zone to Rs 1801 in the evergreen zone, with a mean of Rs 1159/ha per year.