Paper short abstract:

In Community forestry indigenous knowledge can be better utilised for conservation of bio-diversities promoting NTFP based enterprise in the community forestry for the livelihoods development of the marginalized and under-privileged peoples.

Paper long abstract:

Since the beginning of participatory forestry for involving the village people in the decision-making process of the forest management system, the community forestry came into being with devolution of power to the primary stakeholders from the centralized and custodial state management regime and the indigenous knowledge system. Starting from the species inventorization, participatory silviculture, biodiversity conservation, natural regeneration, livelihood strategies with the utility of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for the domestic and commercial requirement to eco-system services got the significance and importance.

Later the NTFPs have become a big business around the globe. It is estimated that some US $ 90 billion worth of NTFPs are extracted every year. Further some US $ 11 billion worth of NTFPs are internationally traded within the national economies of the world and the rest 1/3 rd is consumed within the local village economies of the world in terms of employment.

In the livelihoods development of the fringe-forest villages several interventions were made, followed by entrepreneurial skills for promoting NTFP based enterprises that could be managed profitably and sustainably by local communities and forest dependent households for sustainable economy and environment with the help of natural resource management. Development of small and micro-enterprises provide with the stable economy, sustainable environment and social or institutional arrangements

Attempts would be made in this paper to discuss on the extension of private knowledge of various ethnic groups or communities into the development of socio-economy and common property resources situation in the Anthropological perspective.