48
S. Dhyani and D. Dhyani
sites was also reported to be uneven throughout the year and scarcity of fodder is
also due to lack of smart planning to utilize crop byproducts and other resources.
Demand and supply of fodder during winter/lean period was reported to be a serious issue that results in women drudgery and resource extraction conflicts in all
the villages (Dhyani et al. 2011). Dry leaf litter during winter months is collected
from forest floor as per preference of locals (fast decomposing leaves) and subsequently a large amount of leaf litter is collected for cattle bedding later used in
making farm yard manure (FYM) to support nutritional requirements of crops and
agriculture fields. Removal of leaf litter was observed to be accidentally removing
of seeds from forest floor during field surveys. Practice likely hampers regeneration
of many important tree species with small seeds and insufficient soil seed banks.
NTFP collection is considered to be a regular activity in study villages and different sites have different NTFPs. No resource rights have been associated with NTFP
collection unless it is in bulk for commercial purposes (Hall and Bawa 1993). Collection of resources from forests was reported by local informants of Chamoli and
Rudraprayag districts to be an intense and exhaustive practice because of poor socioeconomic conditions of locals, meagre, unreliable and insufficient yield from traditional agriculture practices and pressure to use natural forests as easiest alternative
livelihood options (Misra et al. 2009).
Local communities practice animal husbandry as an important source of livelihood along with agriculture. Each family was found to be maintaining 3–5 cattle that
included bovines (a pair of bullocks to support agriculture, a cow and/or a buffalo
to support dairy requirements and a horse/mule for alternative livelihood as pack
animals). All cattle are stall-fed and few families also leave their cattle with few
temporary transhumant for free grazing in surrounding, forests and kharaks (Misra
2009; Dhyani et al. 2011). Summer camps (Fig. 4) represent extraction of resources
by temporary or permanent transhumants who camp in high altitude alpines and
pastures with livestock for grazing. They exert more pressure on forests/household
than a normal household has on forests of lower altitudes. Every year for Kedarnath
yatra that majorly lasts for 02 months (May to June) more than 5000 pack animals
are brought from far and nearby locations of the state and also from outside the
state. These animals exert extra additional pressure on alpines and pastures for their
fodder demands by free grazing as well as stall feeding (Misra et al. 2009). Till
2005–2006 permanent summer transhumants of Gujjar community were allowed to
graze their buffaloes in pastures and alpine areas of Central Himalayas later a ban
was imposed after it was observed their animals (50–100/household) exert pressure
on alpine areas beyond the carrying capacity of these pastures (Misra 2009). Winter
transhumant population of Indo-Mongoloid Bhotiya tribes in Uttarakashi, Chamoli
and Pithoragarh were also banned to graze their sheep in pastures after these pastures and alpine areas were notified as Protected Forests after Wildlife Protection
Act, 1972. Slowly indigenous Bhotiya tribal community is leaving the traditional
practice of livestock rearing but has shifted to collection of MAPs from alpines and
subalpines. Locals were historically trained and skilled to survive in high altitude
areas by practicing certain livelihood practices that were more traditional and natural
resource dependent viz. agriculture in lower altitudes (500–1000), agriculture and
S. Dhyani and D. Dhyani
sites was also reported to be uneven throughout the year and scarcity of fodder is
also due to lack of smart planning to utilize crop byproducts and other resources.
Demand and supply of fodder during winter/lean period was reported to be a serious issue that results in women drudgery and resource extraction conflicts in all
the villages (Dhyani et al. 2011). Dry leaf litter during winter months is collected
from forest floor as per preference of locals (fast decomposing leaves) and subsequently a large amount of leaf litter is collected for cattle bedding later used in
making farm yard manure (FYM) to support nutritional requirements of crops and
agriculture fields. Removal of leaf litter was observed to be accidentally removing
of seeds from forest floor during field surveys. Practice likely hampers regeneration
of many important tree species with small seeds and insufficient soil seed banks.
NTFP collection is considered to be a regular activity in study villages and different sites have different NTFPs. No resource rights have been associated with NTFP
collection unless it is in bulk for commercial purposes (Hall and Bawa 1993). Collection of resources from forests was reported by local informants of Chamoli and
Rudraprayag districts to be an intense and exhaustive practice because of poor socioeconomic conditions of locals, meagre, unreliable and insufficient yield from traditional agriculture practices and pressure to use natural forests as easiest alternative
livelihood options (Misra et al. 2009).
Local communities practice animal husbandry as an important source of livelihood along with agriculture. Each family was found to be maintaining 3–5 cattle that
included bovines (a pair of bullocks to support agriculture, a cow and/or a buffalo
to support dairy requirements and a horse/mule for alternative livelihood as pack
animals). All cattle are stall-fed and few families also leave their cattle with few
temporary transhumant for free grazing in surrounding, forests and kharaks (Misra
2009; Dhyani et al. 2011). Summer camps (Fig. 4) represent extraction of resources
by temporary or permanent transhumants who camp in high altitude alpines and
pastures with livestock for grazing. They exert more pressure on forests/household
than a normal household has on forests of lower altitudes. Every year for Kedarnath
yatra that majorly lasts for 02 months (May to June) more than 5000 pack animals
are brought from far and nearby locations of the state and also from outside the
state. These animals exert extra additional pressure on alpines and pastures for their
fodder demands by free grazing as well as stall feeding (Misra et al. 2009). Till
2005–2006 permanent summer transhumants of Gujjar community were allowed to
graze their buffaloes in pastures and alpine areas of Central Himalayas later a ban
was imposed after it was observed their animals (50–100/household) exert pressure
on alpine areas beyond the carrying capacity of these pastures (Misra 2009). Winter
transhumant population of Indo-Mongoloid Bhotiya tribes in Uttarakashi, Chamoli
and Pithoragarh were also banned to graze their sheep in pastures after these pastures and alpine areas were notified as Protected Forests after Wildlife Protection
Act, 1972. Slowly indigenous Bhotiya tribal community is leaving the traditional
practice of livestock rearing but has shifted to collection of MAPs from alpines and
subalpines. Locals were historically trained and skilled to survive in high altitude
areas by practicing certain livelihood practices that were more traditional and natural
resource dependent viz. agriculture in lower altitudes (500–1000), agriculture and