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S. Das et al.
of high rate of soil erosion and structural stability of soil is impacted by runoff and
winds. The availability of water in the soil for the crop production also decreases
which is vulnerable to climatic variation. Thus, shifting cultivation in varied forms is
destructive to the environment because forest areas are being converted to agriculture
through such practices thereby diminishing the area under primary forest (Barkakoti
1990). Similar to the results of the present study, in Uttar Pradesh’s Suhelwa Wildlife
Sanctuary 39.2% of people lived in kutcha houses, while only 26.2% of them had
complete pucca houses (Jaiswal and Bhattacharya 2013). In Bumdeling Wildlife
Sanctuary of Bhutan the local communities were found to utilize forest resources to
meet their daily requirements (Wangyal 2012). Similar was the case in rural communities around Manombo Forest of Madagascar where firewood formed the primary
(often the only) fuel available for domestic cooking and local communities harvested
firewood illegally from the protected Manombo areas (Abram 2008). The use of trees
in terms of shade protection from heat and sand was reported by the fringe villagers
of Kosti province in central Sudan (Kobbail 2012). They also used trees as a source
of charcoal as well as for fodder, fencing and source of fruits.
The level of education of fringe villagers of Barail Wildlife Sanctuary was below
the secondary school. Similar findings were reported from a protected area of Retezat
National Park in Romania where less than 30% of residents had any sort of college
education. Another recent study from Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal also reported
the majority of villagers below secondary level of education, 34% of the respondents
being illiterate (Thapa 2016).
A large number of villagers living in the fringe areas of Barail Wildlife Sanctuary
practiced poultry farming which was significantly higher in comparison to piggery,
duckery and dairy farming. However, livestock rearing did not have any significant correlation with conservation perceptions of local people, as reported from the
Umfurudzi Park, Gonarezhou National Park, Matusadona National Park and Cawston Ranch of Zimbabwe (Mutanga et al. 2015). On the other hand, fringe villagers
of Central Kenya with herds of livestock had a more negative perception towards
protected areas and are often less supportive of conservation than those with fewer
livestock (Gadd 2005; Romanach et al. 2007).
5 Conclusions
The fringe villagers of Borail Wildlife Sanctuary possessed a positive attitude towards
the sanctuary as a whole which is essential for participatory conservation and management programme in this protected area situated in the vulnerable eco-region of
north east India. The dominance of utilitarian value among the local communities
indicate towards their social and economic dependency on the Borail Wildlife Sanctuary, particularly for collecting firewood, constructing huts (kutcha houses), cultivation of beetle vine (pan jhum) etc. Although this primitive shifting agricultural
land use is associated with large scale deforestation leading to undesirable ecological imbalance which is critical for this sensitive hilly landscape. Acceleration of
S. Das et al.
of high rate of soil erosion and structural stability of soil is impacted by runoff and
winds. The availability of water in the soil for the crop production also decreases
which is vulnerable to climatic variation. Thus, shifting cultivation in varied forms is
destructive to the environment because forest areas are being converted to agriculture
through such practices thereby diminishing the area under primary forest (Barkakoti
1990). Similar to the results of the present study, in Uttar Pradesh’s Suhelwa Wildlife
Sanctuary 39.2% of people lived in kutcha houses, while only 26.2% of them had
complete pucca houses (Jaiswal and Bhattacharya 2013). In Bumdeling Wildlife
Sanctuary of Bhutan the local communities were found to utilize forest resources to
meet their daily requirements (Wangyal 2012). Similar was the case in rural communities around Manombo Forest of Madagascar where firewood formed the primary
(often the only) fuel available for domestic cooking and local communities harvested
firewood illegally from the protected Manombo areas (Abram 2008). The use of trees
in terms of shade protection from heat and sand was reported by the fringe villagers
of Kosti province in central Sudan (Kobbail 2012). They also used trees as a source
of charcoal as well as for fodder, fencing and source of fruits.
The level of education of fringe villagers of Barail Wildlife Sanctuary was below
the secondary school. Similar findings were reported from a protected area of Retezat
National Park in Romania where less than 30% of residents had any sort of college
education. Another recent study from Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal also reported
the majority of villagers below secondary level of education, 34% of the respondents
being illiterate (Thapa 2016).
A large number of villagers living in the fringe areas of Barail Wildlife Sanctuary
practiced poultry farming which was significantly higher in comparison to piggery,
duckery and dairy farming. However, livestock rearing did not have any significant correlation with conservation perceptions of local people, as reported from the
Umfurudzi Park, Gonarezhou National Park, Matusadona National Park and Cawston Ranch of Zimbabwe (Mutanga et al. 2015). On the other hand, fringe villagers
of Central Kenya with herds of livestock had a more negative perception towards
protected areas and are often less supportive of conservation than those with fewer
livestock (Gadd 2005; Romanach et al. 2007).
5 Conclusions
The fringe villagers of Borail Wildlife Sanctuary possessed a positive attitude towards
the sanctuary as a whole which is essential for participatory conservation and management programme in this protected area situated in the vulnerable eco-region of
north east India. The dominance of utilitarian value among the local communities
indicate towards their social and economic dependency on the Borail Wildlife Sanctuary, particularly for collecting firewood, constructing huts (kutcha houses), cultivation of beetle vine (pan jhum) etc. Although this primitive shifting agricultural
land use is associated with large scale deforestation leading to undesirable ecological imbalance which is critical for this sensitive hilly landscape. Acceleration of