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Resource Availability Versus Resource Extraction in Forests: Analysis of Forest Fodder System in Forest Density Classes in Lower Himalayas, India

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Abstract

Particularly in developing countries, forests provide feed for livestock in the form of fodder for stall-feeding and grazing in forest areas. Extraction of fodder resources from forests often leads to forest degradation. An attempt has been made to qualify extend of biomass extraction from forests and to compare forest fodder dependence of households in a number of forest density classes in the mountainous region of Himalayas, in Uttarakhand state in India, according to livestock owners’ perspectives. Information was obtained from a survey of livestock feed and fodder collection and utilization from 316 randomly selected households distributed across four government-defined forest density classes, namely very dense forest, moderately dense forest, open forest and scrub. Households obtained feed and fodder for livestock from three sources, i.e. forest areas, non-forest areas and local markets. Daily feed consumption per adult cattle unit varied according to source, ranging from 9.85 to 14.70 kg from forest areas, 7.40 to 11.14 kg from non-forest areas, and less than 1 kg from local markets. The dependency of households on fodder for livestock differed significantly between households located in each forest density classes. The current forest fodder extraction rate is likely to be unsustainable. Measures identified to reduce the extraction rate include greater use of alternative fodder sources and managing small patches of the natural forests adjoining dependent villages for fodder production through community participation.

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Notes

  1. Livestock numbers are aggregated in terms of an Adult Cattle Unit (ACU); 1 goat = 0.15 ACU, 1 pony = 1 ACU, 1 ox = 1.15 ACU (Yang 1971), and 1 buffalo = 1.5 ACU (G.B. Pant University 1980).

  2. The MoEF mapped the land according to forest density class by selecting patches that fitted into the four forest classes. Farming households near these patches were grouped within the forest density class as sampling strata, even though they sometimes operated with mixture of forest land types.

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Acknowledgments

The first author acknowledges the financial support of Central Statistical Organisation, New Delhi, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand, India

    Rajiv Pandey

  2. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Steve Harrison

  3. Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India

    Ajay Kumar Gupta

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  1. Rajiv Pandey
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  2. Steve Harrison
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  3. Ajay Kumar Gupta
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Correspondence to Rajiv Pandey.

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Pandey, R., Harrison, S. & Gupta, A.K. Resource Availability Versus Resource Extraction in Forests: Analysis of Forest Fodder System in Forest Density Classes in Lower Himalayas, India. Small-scale Forestry 13, 267–279 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-013-9253-3

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