Mahua Flower Collection Sheets - A simple Intervention for Facilitating Collection of Mahua flowers and Reducing Forest Fire

摘要

All over Central India, collection ofmahua flowers is carried out by burning the undergrowth undermahua trees, often causing forest fire. Trials were conducted in Melghat TigerReserve using mahua collection sheets made from old saris. Use ofmahua collection sheets obviated the need for burning the undergrowth and could be effective in preventing forest fire. A comparison was made of the benefits of using mahua collection sheets vis-a-vis the traditional method. The most significant benefit was the reduction in time required formahua collection, from 6.78±0.79 hours to 1.58±0.29 hours each day. There were otherbenefits such as reduction in manpowerrequirement and reduction in encounters with wild animals. These benefits will encourage the adoptionof this technique by forest dwelling communities for mahua collection.