The panel focuses on the indigenous knowledge of ethnic, rural, urban and other human communities for ecological resource management. It emphasizes the integration of indigenous knowledge with that of scientific venture to make sustainable development through the utilization of ecological resources.
Long Abstract:
Ecological resource management is a valuable endeavor to indicate the status and condition of people who use ecological resources in meeting their multifarious needs. We often mistakenly formulate policies for conserving and restoring the ecological sites by ignoring the local people's skills and traditional conservation techniques. This knowledge is learned by themselves through their practical experiences and very often it is transmitted from one generation to the next through unwritten and oral communication. Being the real descendents of their habitats since long past, and nonetheless, in many places around the world, the indigenous people possess valuable traditional environmental knowledge through interacting with their proximate ecosystem. Unfortunately, however, many of such people are now repressed and exterminated by formulating discriminatory laws and policies in the name of development. For that purpose what we require that we should integrate the indigenous knowledge with that of scientific venture to make sustainable development through the utilization of ecological resources. The social scientists should work with natural scientists, policy makers and development practitioners to help evolving a sustainable model for ecological resource management. Accordingly, this session invites proposals from the academicians of different disciplines, and also people from different regions of the globe, to have the diversities in ecological resource management initiatives. This session is wedded to receive qualitative and/or quantitative and/or mixed approaches of finalizing the ecological essays aptly dealt with the indigenous knowledge the people usually utilize in ecological resource management.
Insecticides, used in vegetable cultivation are causing harm to the environment by poisoning men and animals and by killing beneficial insects. Traditional methods which have been used for hundred of years are still of effective in pest control. They do not at all normally pose any pollution hazard.
Paper long abstract:
Traditional farming systems in India are the reservoirs of a huge variety of crops, many of which are still un-documented. The indigenous practices are interlinked with animal-forest-farm resources. This traditional knowledge is used in weather forecast, soil and water management and management of insect pest and disease. Sustainable planning of pest management is one of the most important aspects of modern agriculture particularly in vegetable cultivation. Synthetic chemicals are causing tremendous harm to the environment by poisoning men and animals and by killing useful and beneficial insects. Pests are getting resistant to the chemicals used and these are getting too expensive for poor farmers. High technologies lead to problems of resource management and pollution besides developing the remedial measures like use of bio-fertilizers, integrated pest management including biological pest control methods. In this aspect our country has assets. Traditional pesticides include not only substances derived from plants but also from animals, inert materials and by-products of plants also. Today about 2000 plants containing insecticides are known. These are mostly wild plants barring a few domestically used. Traditional methods of pest control which have been used for hundred of years are still of effective. Moreover, they do not at all normally pose any pollution hazard. This paper is an attempt to document some of the indigenous farming practices of management of insect pests in vegetable fields followed by traditional farmers of India.
The present authors successfully applied indigenous knowledge and promoted socio-cultural activities of concerned tribals in restoration of some forests in Burdwan District of West Bengal State in India The nature seemed to allow a harmony of manipulation with self designing capacity of the nature.
Paper long abstract:
Forest, one of the most depleted natural resources, necessitates immediate worldwide restoration. The tropical deciduous Sal forests in Burdwan district of West Bengal State in India are highly degraded with species diversity impoverished mainly by overexploitation of phytoresources and soil erosion. Considering the importance of indigenous knowledge and culture in ecosystem optimization the present work applied the principle of socio-cultural promotion of the self-designing capacity of nature in ecorestoration of selected forests under Durgapur Range of Burdwan Forest Division. The tree species of concern in cultural traditions of the local Santhal community were selected by their priests for planting in addition to the existing ones since self- sustainability of a forest ecosystem depends greatly on the direct man-plant relationship including the anthropological influences of the ambient biodiversity. During restoration, some trees were earmarked by the priests as sacred for worship in different seasons.
Changes in ecological parameters as Biological Spectrum, habit analysis and Jaccard's Generic Co-efficient of the forest in temporal scale revealed microclimatic optimization of the regeneration niche i.e. summation of all favourable conditions for germination, growth and establishment of tree-seedlings. The nature seems to permit the ongoing activities to proceed towards a dynamic equilibrium in harmony with the ethnic communities for sustainable optimization of the forest and its characteristic phytoclimate.
This paper deals with Rajbanshi Indigenous Knowledge for ecological resource management.
Paper long abstract:
Rajbanshi social fold of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and its northern plains and watersheds incorporates various castes, tribes and communities. They are mostly agriculturalists and a few attached with forestry to collect minor resources.
Rajbanshis are good with ecological resource management. Their management of agricultural biodiversity, sacred groves, water bodies, watersheds and marshlands are too good. They rear cattle and poultry. Their knowledge base can be a target for microfinance. They also know about forest resource, agro-forestry, and social forestry. They in this way mitigate the demands of wood, fuel, herbal remedy and wooden plough and other implements. They can protect local seeds as well as indigenous rice, vegetable and bamboo varieties. Women play the most important role. They have developed complex agrarian systems that they provide religious assistance and make integral part of folk life.
They maintain their structures on resource management (or substructure) assisted by the superstructure.
For centuries, tribals, rural and hill communities have been effectively managing their natural resources using a wide range of traditional practices and self imposed rules. For instance, Bhotiya tribe in Uttarakhand uses different types of forests for different purposes and classified that as sacred, grazing or fuel gathering. Access to these forests is strictly regulated and the collection of fuel wood and the grazing of animals are forbidden. It shows that to maintain ecological balance, the hill communities practice rules of self restraint. The latent functions of all these rituals and customs are to protect and preserve natural resources which are the basis of their survival. These customary practices have high acceptability because the entire community is aware of the rationale behind such conservation. However, growing population illegal felling of forest trees and introduction of development projects are becoming cause for vast and fast depletion of natural resources. This has a negative impact on the communities especially women who are dependent on natural resources for their livelihood and habitation. This situation has led to the emergence of 'Chipko Andolan' which was led mainly by the local women of hill region.
Objectives of the paper is to find -out the role of indigenous knowledge and cultural practices in the management of natural resources and the mechanism through which communities consume, sustain and conserve these resources and maintain equilibrium with the ecological system. Also to find out how women are coping-up in the given situation.
The preset study documents the indigenous knowledge about use of macrophytes of Wetlands in Nadia District, West Bengal (India) and envisages their sustainable use to ensure ecological welfare and economic development of the associated people.
Paper long abstract:
The preset study is an outcome of an ethnobotanical work undertaken since 2006 to document the knowledge of the indigenous communities about use of wetland macrophytes in Nadia district of West Bengal State. As many as 30 species were known to have excellent medicinal properties. Young shoots of two species and leaves of seven species and underground parts of five species are cooked as vegetables. Edible flowers, fruits and seeds are obtainable from one, two and three species, respectively. It was found that excellent fodders, poultry feed and fish feed can be derived from 2 species each. The culm of three species can be woven into mats and encouraging production of compost can be expected from two species and biofertilizer from one species. Piscicidal and insecticidal uses of one species each have also been recorded.The flowers of Nelumbo nucifera and Nymphaea nouchali are offered in worships and used in ceremonies and festivals. Essential oils and dye are obtained from one species each. Thus, from the foregoing the economic prospect of wetlands macrophytes in Nadia district is quite convincing. All the phytoresources recorded in this work must be ensured protection through their sustainable use.
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