Forest Management Practices of the Tribal People of Meghalaya, North-East India

The tribal communities of Meghalaya nurture forests in the vicinity of their habitations, near water sources, on steep slopes and other ecologically sensitive lands. Their forest conservation practices can be seen in sacred groves, village restricted forests, village supply forests, clan forests and other traditionally managed forests, which comprise about 90% of Meghalaya’s total forest area. These forests are protected and managed by the tribal people through institutional arrangements developed to benefit the community as a whole. The classification, protection, regeneration and extraction procedures practised for management of these forests are among the best examples of traditional ecological knowledge. Often including a variety of water bodies, these forests are very rich in aquatic as well as terrestrial biodiversity, including innumerable species of medicinal plants, wild foods and other economically important plants and animals. This study documented and analysed the role played by these traditionally managed forests and associated knowledge in conservation of biodiversity in general and of medicinal plants in particular. The paper also highlights aspects of the traditional forest management systems of the local tribal people and their contributions to food security, health care and also perpetuation of forest-related knowledge.