Forest Resource Utilization Pattern and Heterogeneity in Rural Household Characteristics in Garhwal Himalaya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2018/v144i2/122506Keywords:
Conservation, Consumption, Livelihood, Off-Farm Activities, Utilization.Abstract
Forest utilization pattern and extent among rural households varies differentially, affecting forest conservation and poverty reduction related policies and programmes. The present study attempts to analyze household characteristics facilitating forest resource use by rural households of Pauri Garhwal and Rudraprayag districts of Garhwal Himalaya, so that programmes may be tuned and optimized for better outcomes. Data on relevant household's parameters and forest resource use were collected from 454 randomly selected households distributed in three altitudinal ranges across the districts through multi-stage random sampling technique. The results of analysis showed that households' use forests for variety of purposes and most commonly used forest resources were fuelwood for energy, grass and leave fodder for livestock, leaf litter for composting and stone for construction purpose. The results of factor analysis revealed that decision factor, locational factor and household economic strengths were the most significant parameter in regulating forest resources use by the households. The results also reveals that the livelihoods of rural communities in Garhwal region is dependent on forest resources and varied household attributes were the prime cause for differential uses of forests. Therefore schemes and rural development programmes focusing on household attributes are needed to strengthen household's internal (education and health) and external (economic and social) settings along with forest conservation.References
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