Participation of Forest Users' Committee Members in Community Forestry Activities in the Midhills of Nepal

The objectives of this study were to determine: (i) forest Users' Committee (FUC) formation process; (ii) the level of participation of Forest Users' Committee members; and (iii) association of personal, cognitive, attitudinal and situational factors with the level of participation. Altogether 105 respondents were selected using a simple random sampling technique from 16 committees in Lamjung and Dolakha Districts. Data were collected by means of personal interviews. Data were analysed using computer sub-programmes of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS PC+). The findings revealed: members were among the elites in the Nepalese rural social system; (ii) some committees were formed under the initiation of villagers while some were induced by the forest off ice; (iii) the overall level of participation was low; 40 percent of the respondents were non-participants; 22 percent, 21 percent and 17 percent of them were low, medium and high participants respectively. (iv) The following factors were found to be significantly related with the level of participation: level of education (r=.42), trainings attended (C=.28), source of income (C=.33), perception of the roles and functions of Forest Users' Committees (r=.62), awareness about roles and functions of the change agency (r=.58), perception of problems (r=.48), attitude towards Forest Users' Committee (r=.76), sociability (r=.66), cosmopoliteness (r=.53), extens ion contact (r=.42) and political affiliation (r=.47). Among eighteen variables, only six variables were the important predictors of the FUC members' level of participation. The most important predictor was the attitude towards FUC . The other predictors of the FUC members' level of participation were: Sociability, Awareness about the roles and functions of change agency, perception of the problems, political affiliation, and perception of the roles and functions of FUC. The study recommended that the indigenous committees (if in existence) should be strengthened. Further, the formal committees should only be formed with the full consultation of the users. The Forest Users' Committees should be given legal status and that the procedure for its formation, its duties, functions and legal authority should be well defined. Also, the extension programme should be aimed at helping users to help themselves, facilitating a two-way flow of information between foresters and users, and working with the users rather than for the users

How can countries protect their banks against international contagion?

They need to distinguish the unique type of contagion in each crisis, write Mardi Dungey and Dinesh Gajure

Diversity of wild edible plants traditionally used by the Galo tribe of Indian Eastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh

Wild edible plants are found very useful in the fulfilment of food and nutritional requirements. Because of the availibity and cultural preference, the consumption of these plants among the tribes is high. To find out the diversity, utilisation pattern and sociocultural importance of the wild plants, a study was conducted in the state of Arunachal Pradesh selecting the Galo tribe, and accordingly the wild edible plants consumed are documented here. Data were collected through extensive field surveys and interviews with the community in the selected 12 villages in Upper Subansiri and West Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Overall, 125 wild edible plant species under 99 genera and 54 families are reported. These species are consumed mostly as leafy vegetables, fruits, medicine, spices and condiments and as a substitute to food grains. The Urticaceae with ten species is the most utilised family followed by Asteraceae, Moraceae and Lamiaceae with at least five species in each. Herbs with 47 species were found to be the most dominant growth form followed by trees with 44 species. Based on parts used leaves with 66 species were recorded to be the most used plant parts followed by fruits. The highest edibility index of 50 % was reported in Solanum americanum. The analysis of relative frequency of citation revealed that total 78 species exhibits more than 0.50 relative frequency of citation value with highest value in Pouzolzia hirta (0.95). It has been found that the wild plant resources play a vital role in the socio-economic aspects of the Galo tribe

Ethnobotanical uses and socio-economic importance of climbing species in Arunachal Pradesh, India

The species diversity of climber is found very high in the tropical region of the world. The tropical and sub tropical forests in the Eastern Himalayan state exhibit a good representation of climbing flora. A study on the taxonomic diversity and socio economic importance of climbing plants occurring in Papum Pare district, Arunachal Pradesh was carried out. A total of 187 climbing species were recorded amongst which 61 species distributed over 43 genera and 20 families are found having various economic applications. The detailed ethnobotanical uses and economic importance of all the species were evaluated and presented. Based on their end use, the species are grouped under six broad categories where the highest number of 29 species are found used as local medicines. Additionally, 22 other species were used as wild edibles, 7 species as construction and handicraft materials and 7 species for hunting and fishing. Among all, the species like Piper longum, Abrus precatorius, Calamus tenuis, Dioscorea spp. and Rubia cordifolia have good commercial and economic values. The study revealed that the climbing species are linked with the livelihood as well as for the socio economic support to the local communities. As the majority of the species are used for medicines, fruits and vegetables, the climbing species are found to be playing a vital role in the fulfilment of the medicinal and nutritional requirements of the local people

Present status of distribution, utilization and commercialization of Zanthoxylum armatum DC. - a socio economically potential species in Arunachal Pradesh, India

The utilization of wild plants for livelihood and income generation is a traditional practice adopted by various indigenous communities worldwide. Zanthoxylum armatum DC. is one of the most preferred species harvested from wild and used extensively by the local indigenous communities in the northeastern part of India as well as in the neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Nepal. This species has been widely used by the local tribes as a spice in flavouring various foodstuffs and also for the treatment of numerous health ailments. We studied the distribution, population, ethnobotanical uses and marketing potentials of Zanthoxylum armatum in 12 districts of Arunachal Pradesh during 2018-2019. The study revealed its occurrence in the subtropical and temperate forest of the state with maximum population in forest edges and open forests around agricultural lands of West Kameng and Lower Subansiri districts. The analysis of the population in Shergaon area revealed its good representation with 1.04 /m2 density contributing 0.051 m2/ha. basal cover and 20.011 IVI. Even after its various uses, no cultivation of the species was practised by the local people. The dried fruits that are marketed @Rs. 800-1200/kg in the state are entirely collected from the wild. As the population of the species is limited in most of the area and the supply of fruits is only from the wild, extensive plantation and management practices will serve both the conservation as well the economic gain to the local communities

Unified Approach to Sustainability, Resiliency and Risk Assessments

Generally, researchers consider sustainability and resiliency aspects of infrastructure projects independently, without considering the relationship that exists between them. Unified approaches that combine sustainability, resiliency, and analyze risk are very minimal. This paper proposes a unified approach to assessing sustainability, resiliency, and risk for infrastructure via evaluating the performance of a tailings dam under various earthquake magnitudes. A tailings dam is typically in operation for many years, which means they may have a direct impact on the local environment, society, and economy. Due to the extended life of the dam, the probability of a major event occurring that could negatively impact the durability of the dam increases. Hence, it is important to study impacts on the environment and economy under regular (sustainability analysis) and extreme (resiliency analysis) conditions in conjunction with their probabilities of occurrence. This paper studies the interrelationships between sustainability, resiliency and the potential risks of a negative impact upon infrastructure. Results provided show that a unified approach with emphasis on risk offers a more holistic, and accurate depiction of a system‟s overall quality