SummaryMany high altitude regions of the world are still occupied by traditional communities of people, whose livelihood is closely related to a narrow base of locally available natural resources. A survey was conducted in 1991–94 of two villages inhabited by Bhotiya tribal people in Dharchula block of Uttar Pradesh, India. Medicinal herbs (14 abundant species, with Partitella ramitchadalis accounting for >50% by weight) constitute 12–13% of total income to the villages. The harvest is conducted by children during August to October, around summer settlements (up to 4100 m altitude) to which the villagers annually migrate. Fifteen cooperatives with a 1992 membership of 7009 herb collectors and salespeople exist in the Dharchula block, and marketing is through two specialist government agencies. Conservation measures, including protected areas and banning of direct trade with purchasing companies, have not generally been successful; pressure on the plant populations has increased and there is evidence for decline in the resource. Cultivation appears to represent a viable option for the resource, and thus for the income of the traditional peoples who still depend on it.
The traditional knowledge and expertise of the Apatani group of villages in the Ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India were evaluated in terms of the cultural and social cohesiveness associated with managing the land, water and agro-biodiversity. Unlike other tribal communities in northeast India, who mainly practise shifting cultivation, the Apatani depend mainly on perennial wet-rice cultivation. They successfully grow 16 varieties of rice in the waterlogged paddy fields by means of organic farming and appropriate use of diverse natural resources. The traditional wet-rice farming system is functional even today and is modified by the community as and when required. Apatani land-use management is conducted using well tried traditional land law systems, and land is classified into 10 major categories on the basis of traditional uses. The paper also highlights the traditional irrigation technology and techniques for maintaining soil fertility and storing grain.
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