Fire, grazing, and extraction of non-timber forest products in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, southern India: Implications for forest policy, sustainable use and local economies

My study, set in the dry deciduous forests of Mudumalai, within the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, in South India, dealt with the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on forest composition and the implications of these disturbances for biological sustainability. The major human activities in the forest include fuelwood extraction for about 12,000 people, cattle grazing, and harvest of non-timber forest products.; I conducted a survey of the population to assess the extent of dependence on fuelwood. I estimated the annual per capita consumption of fuelwood to be 376 kg. I validated this figure by detailed observations of the amount of fuelwood being carried out from the forest. Vegetation transects revealed that the collection area requires a 4 km radius from the main village to meet its current annual requirements of 2000 metric tons on a sustainable yield basis. The extraction pressures will continue to radiate out deeper into the forest if open access conditions persist.; I studied the effects of grazing on vegetation species composition, tree seedling regeneration, seed set of grass species, and biomass productivity at an experimental site. The forest vegetation composition has been degraded from a dry deciduous forest formation to a woodland savanna. Biomass productivity in the control plots was about 6 tons/ha/year. The regeneration of seedlings is highest in control plots compared to plots with grazing, fire, or both. Analysis of soil samples from treatment plots did not reveal any significant differences. Numbers of wild herbivores may be diminished by cattle grazing and habitat change. Cattle grazing is economically attractive because it generates U.S. {dollar}0.5 million annually for the local economy.; Another forest resource use is extraction of non-timber forest products. The commercial and subsistence value is estimated to be over U.S. {dollar}37,000. Poorer households, rely to a greater extent on NTFPs. The value of NTFPs is deteriorating because of fuelwood cutting pressures, and animal husbandry.; The present property regime is at the heart of resource misuse, and I advocate security of rights of access to natural resources, which may result in a more sustainable use.