Sustainable use of medicinal plants |
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| Methodology for planning sustainable management of medicinal plants in India and Nepal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New methods are available to help communities extract medicinal plants and other non-timber forest products (NTFPs) from their community forests in sustainable ways. More and more communities are now managing or co-managing their forests and pastures, and this is boosting the amount of medicinal NTFPs being collected. To ensure that resources like medicinal plants last, researchers have worked closely with communities in India and Nepal to develop appropriate ways of ensuring sustainable use. The project has produced a variety of useful outputs, ranging from a method of assessing the sustainability of extraction activities to a handbook to help extension workers train villagers in the new techniques. The methods developed are proving popular and have recently been taken up and transferred to Peru by the UK's Darwin Foundation. Project Ref: FRP38:
Research Programmes: Forestry Research Programme Relevant Research Projects: R8295
It is increasingly common for communities to be in the position of managing, or co-managing, forests and pastures. At the same time, there has been an upsurge in the extraction of medicinal plants and NTFPs in general from the wild. Proven scientific knowledge about such species is rare and even where available may not relate well to the ecological or cultural conditions of the community. Development based on the commercialisation of such plants, without concern for the resource, is not sustainable. To test the sustainability of existing practices, or to compare them with alternative practices, locally specific information is needed about the effects of harvesting on the plants, their reproduction and their habitats. Our methodology enables community members themselves to plan, conduct and interpret experiments that produce information both they and scientists can trust. The results are reliable and relevant. They have been jointly tested by forest users and foresters/facilitators, and are therefore much more likely to be adopted and incorporated in forest management plans than scientific knowledge which is simply transferred from outside, or local knowledge which remains unexamined. For all the following please see http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/humaneco/india-nepal.php for further information or to download the output. Working handbook
Methodology brief
Policy brief
Training workshop on statistical analysis
Methodological and technical training
Poster series
7. Numerous papers, newspaper articles and workshop presentations designed to raise awareness and stimulate dialogue about the need for sustainable production lniked to promotion of NTFPs as a poverty alleviation strategy.
Non Timber Forest Products, (NTFPs), particularly medicinal plants. The method can be adapted according to part harvested leaf, root / tubers, whole plant, fruits, etc. Because it is a process, the outputs can be used by any community group to test different ways of managing and harvesting any species, including timber if necessary, not only from the forest but also from cultivated land.
Our methodology enables communities to scientifically test local knowledge and management regimes on local forests, thereby increasing the relevance and credibility of results. Our project was designed to build on previous RNRRS projects, including recommendations for biometric protocol (ZF0077), participatory inventory and monitoring methods (R7475), and the participatory action and learning process (R6918). Our outputs focused on experimental validation of sustainable harvesting. It could benefit from being clustered with the following projects all included with the permission of the project leaders:
Non RNRRS projects: Project report published by FRLHT for the Government of Chattisgarh State, India: "Participatory Value addition to NTFPs in Chattisgarh state of India" by G A Kinhal. The report sets out guidelines for assessing surplus and building methods of value addition to Medicinal Plants. A proposal to the Darwin Initiative is currently being prepared by Dr Julie Hawkins (Reading University) in collaboration with FRLHT and Dr Anna Lawrence, on 'Securing sustainable livelihoods by promoting legal Indian medicinal plant trade'. If successful this would complement the possible clustering with R7925. How the outputs were validated: The methodology has been tested in an exceptionally robust and collaborative manner. Every stage of the process was itself validated by members of all three partner organisations. Comparison of experience and reflection on methods and outcomes was built into the project at regular intervals and contributes to a strong sense of adaptiveness of the approach. Methods were also validated by community members, who commented on the ease or difficulty of certain activities, and any benefits gained from particular methods, through focus group discussions, interviews, and also informally during field work. All methods have been recorded in the handbook, which also features case studies often used to document the modification process which led to their development. The draft handbook was tested in workshops with members of NGOs, communities, forest departments and universities in both India and Nepal, and comments were taken into account in the final version. The entire tested process has been summarised in the methodology brief, which was approved by members of all three collaborating organisations. This was also distributed to all participants in the Expert Workshop on Assessing the Sustainable Yield in Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Collection, International Academy for Nature Conservation, Isle of Vilm, Germany, 14 - 17 September 2006, and feedback was incorporated into the revised version now available on the ECI website. The policy brief was validated by the project liaison committees set up in both India and Nepal, consisting of representatives from NGOs, Forest Departments, universities, independent research institutions, cooperatives and local institutions. The training workshop on statistical analysis was tested by members and partners of our collaborating organisations. They provided feedback on the methods used during the workshop and workshop aids. Understanding was further tested during actual project statistical analysis. The poster series was assessed and validated by local communities in which the posters were displayed. Community members involved in Community to Community Training (CTCT) now use these posters as aides when talking to other communities about the need for such research, and their experiences. Where the Outputs were Validated: Community validation occurred in the four study locations: two in India, two in Nepal. The four villages represent four different forest types: semi arid (India), tropical moist forest (India), hillsides (Nepal) and forest-agriculture interface (India and Nepal) Community research teams were formed in each village, known as 'NTFP research committees' in Nepal and 'Task teams' in India. These were elected by the forest user communities, and included women, poor people and traders to ensure they represented all interest groups affecting and affected by forest harvests. Task teams facilitated the intergenerational knowledge assimilation, as members ranged broadly in age. They also covered multi stakeholder knowledge and aspirations for the research. Dates for testing: 1. Working handbook: June 2003 - February 2006, many locations in Karnataka, Nepal and Oxford 2. Methodology brief: June 2006 (by email); September 2006 Isle of Vilm, Germany 3. Policy brief: February 2006 (by email) 4. Training workshop on statistical analysis: January 2005; Nagarhole National Park, India; repeated support visits Kathmandu and Bangalore, to January 2006 5. Methodological and technical training: February 2006 - September 2006, various locations in Karnataka State, India 6. Poster series: March 2004 onwards, Agumbe and Savandurga, Karnataka, India 7. Presentations at conferences, lectures and workshops: August 2004 - September 2006. Nepal, India, Isle of Vilm Germany, Vancouver Canada. Who are the Users? At the level of intermediary organisations (national NGOs, state agencies) the outputs are being used as follows:
The outputs are designed to be used by intermediary organisations. As an indication of their application however, it is important to note that the outputs have all led to the following in the project partner communities:
Where the outputs have been used: India:
Nepal:
Peru:
Scale of Current Use: In India, excellent working relations between our partner NGO and the State Forest Department have enabled extensive use of the methodology. Linkages to the Indian Forest Service have facilitated replication into three other states, with further possibilities in another two states, as documented above. This move from state to national scale is in the early stages. In Nepal, current direct use is limited to the research communities and replication is inhibited by the current (and until recently severe) security situation. However, awareness about the research and outcomes is reaching the national level through community-to-community visits and incorporation into ForestAction's training packages. A high level of national and international interest in these outputs was expressed at the project maturity workshop, and at the Expert Workshop on Assessing the Sustainable Yield in Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Collection, International Academy for Nature Conservation, Isle of Vilm, Germany, 14 - 17 September 2006. This latter event was hosted by the German Agency for Nature Conservation in connection with the development of the International Standard for the Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants ISSC-MAP, and collaboration to incorporate the methodology and findings of this project is ongoing. As documented above, the methodology is also being applied in Peru, showing applicability to similar natural resource management systems on other continents. Policy and Institutional Structures, and Key Components for Success: Both India and Nepal have programmes which transfer some autonomy to communities when managing forests. This community tenure of forests enabled project success, as local people were interested in learning how to better manage their resource and in devoting time to the process. Both countries also have natural resource management policies that highlight the need for improved NTFP management. The NTFP and Medicinal Plant Policy was enacted in 2004, and strongly promotes the NTFP sub-sector in Nepal, although currently with more attention to production than to sustainability. As the Karnataka State Forest Department was an active partner in the development and implementation of the methodology, it has already shown interest in adopting the methodology and has selected two sites in the state to initiate the process. A similar process in Nepal was inhibited by the security situation. Close links with and experience of the forest departments in both countries greatly facilitated our partner NGOs to help communities make changes to their existing management plans to incorporate findings from experiments. During the project, a NTFP Network was developed in the Nawalparasi District Nepal. This was created as a forum for exchanging information about NTFP management and commercialisation opportunities, and aims to mobilise CFUGs to promote NTFP management in the district. Moreover, it has been promoting marketing links for different products, supporting communities in the cultivation of NTFPs and encouraging CFUGs within the district to establish local level NTFP based enterprises. Additionally, in Nepal the NGO partner accessed the various tiers of users federations, networks, NGOs and their federations who are actively supporting in organizing series of sharing platforms including workshops and training at different levels. In Nepal, the participatory action and learning (PAL) approach in Nepal embedded the technology development in a deliberative and reflexive methodology that led to direct changes in the circumstances of the poorest. Participatory methods also increased communication and understanding of different knowledge bases (scientific and local), and respect for these different knowledge sources. Exchange visits between participating communities also significantly increased interest and commitment to the project. Study tours and exposure visits from communities around the country to the research CFUGs raised the interest of other communities in managing and utilizing NTFP resources in their respective community forests. Both the project planning workshop and the Project Maturity Workshop provided important fora and processes for the promotion of project lessons and methodologies. Key factors in success include:
Lessons Learned and Uptake Pathways Promotion of Outputs: Current use overlaps significantly with promotion in terms of place and scale. The research team developed a comprehensive promotional strategy at the project planning workshop, and has continued in use over the last four years. The strategy includes: Communities: brochures, posters, newspaper articles, study tours, festivals, workshops, CTCT, PMW Forest Departments: training, workshops, proposals for uptake and institutionalisation of methods, handbook, technical notes, newspaper articles, handbook testing workshop, PMW Research Institutions: fact sheets, case studies, methodology brief, handbook testing workshop, scientific articles and book chapters, conferences and workshops NGOs: workshops, articles, handbook, handbook testing workshop, methodology brief Policy makers: policy brief, methodology brief, articles. India
Nepal
Internationally
Potential Barriers Preventing Adoption of Outputs: In comparison with other projects managed by this project leader, this one stands out as generating particularly high levels of interest and demand, as expressed through feedback at the PMW and international meetings, as well as more general interactions. Therefore the predominant barrier is not interest or need, but resources, and context specific adaptation. In individual countries, constraints include
The incentive to invest time and resources in the kind of experimental processes advocated by this project, comes from the potential for marketing the species concerned. Consequently, wider constraints include:
In Nepal political conflict also inhibits adoption of outputs. How to Overcome Barriers to Adoption of Outputs: The following address the barriers noted above:
Lessons Learned: A promotion strategy based on careful targeting of different types of outputs to selected stakeholders was very effective (see under "Promotion of Outputs" for further details). Outputs were tailored such that end users were accustomed to the format, local language was used and common vocabulary. All levels of stakeholders were considered, from rural community members to policy makers. The skills, experience, and high national standing of our partner NGOs created a project which was effective at many levels simultaneously, including good and time-tested community relations, membership of NGO networks, and direct access to state and national policy makers. This allowed an unusual number of events where these different stakeholders engaged with energy and interest - most notably the PMW. At the community level a number of innovative extension methods were developed and found to be successful. Photographs can be supplied on request. India:
Nepal:
Targeting other types of stakeholders we found the following methods to be successful:
Poverty Impact Studies: The project concluded eight months ago so it is still too early to formally evaluate poverty impact. However impacts were noted informally by project partners and through facilitating reflection discussions amongst the participatory communities. In particular, the use of the PAL approach in Nepal embedded the technology development in a deliberative and reflexive methodology that led to direct changes in the circumstances of the poorest. By reflecting on levels of participation in decision-making and benefits, members of both CFUGs developed specific benefit schemes for landless and the poorest families in each community, including providing new homes for some. More formally, in Nepal ForestAction carried out a participatory wealth ranking of all community members, to assess equity (Luintel, 2006). More generally, high hopes have been attributed to NTFPs and their anticipated role in simultaneously addressing needs for natural resource conservation and economic development (Tewari 1993). These hopes have now evolved into a more sophisticated understanding of the variables, recognising that NTFP sustainability and benefits must be evaluated on a case by case basis (Lawrence 2003), and recent studies show the specific benefits accruing to the landless, rural unemployed and women (Bisong and Ajake 2001, Pandit and Thapa 2004, Quang and Anh 2006). Furthermore the benefits of community forest management are seen as linked to the participation of forest users in monitoring and evaluating that management (Hartanto, Lorenzo, and Frio 2002). Our project is designed to maximise the context specificity and local input of these processes and hence the contribution to poverty eradication. How the Poor have Benefited (including gender and other poverty groups): As the outputs were only launched in March 2006, we do not yet have formal evidence for the poverty impacts of this project. However, throughout the project impacts on poverty were informally observed. Human capital:
Social capital:
Natural capital:
Financial capital:
In Nepal, the extreme vulnerable and moderately poor benefited the most from the research process and outcomes. Social capacity was increased through use of the PAL process, and extreme vulnerable poor members of the community were invited to work on the project. Land was allocated for them to cultivate NTFPs, financial and technical support was provided by the CFUG for NTFP cultivation and other pro-poor schemes were started as a result of community reflection processes. In India, the impact on livelihoods was measured at institutional level and among individual NTFP collectors. Quantitative measures to date:
The numbers of people realising a positive impact on their livelihoods, capacity and social networks are:
In Nepal, Sundari CFUG has received a 10% increase in profits from the management of NTPFs arising from the research project. Direct and Indirect Environmental Benefits: Policies supporting trade of NTFPs currently neglect the serious consequences for the resource base, and traditional forestry science does not have the resources to address this for the very diverse range of species and social contexts that they occur in. Through using this methodology, forest users become aware of change in their environment. Local knowledge is widely promoted as a solution to environmental problems, but such knowledge can be dormant or subconscious, or overridden by concerns about resource access and security. This process helps resource users to become more aware of this knowledge and to act on shared observations about resource use and change. Their knowledge may also be highly context-specific, and is strengthened by combining it with more universal scientific knowledge thereby also stimulating the desire to manage it sustainably. In particular such awareness and information is formalised through revised management plans to ensure that the forest resources are monitored and managed sustainably. Adverse Environmental Impacts: None Coping with the Effects of Climate Change, or Risk from Natural Disasters: An adaptive collaborative approach provides the institutional and technical flexibility to cope with change. The adaptive experimental approach developed here is therefore at the core of socio-ecological resilience. The approach assumes that the social, institutional and ecological context of resource management is changing, and affecting rural livelihoods. It enables community members to explore the factors affecting such change, and to propose and test adaptations to such change. It explicitly draws on and combines local and scientific knowledge processes, ensuring the benefits of both small and large scale awareness of change. Adaptation only occurs when information is absorbed and applied to resource management. Importantly this approach provides the information necessary for adaptive management, in a form which is relevant and reliable to the stakeholders. In other words, credibility is established by direct involvement in the information generation, and the results are therefore more accessible to the local resource managers, and likely to be taken up by them. Acronyms
Annex 1: references Bisong, F., and A. Ajake. 2001. An economic analysis of women's dependence on forest resources in the rainforest communities of South-Eastern Nigeria. Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 7:345-350. Hartanto, H., M. C. B. Lorenzo, and A. L. Frio. 2002. Collective action and learning in developing a local monitoring system. International Forestry Review 4:184-195. Lawrence, A. 2003. No forest without timber? International Forestry Review 5:3-10. Luintel, H. 2006. Do civil society organizations promote equity in community forestry? A reflection from Nepal's experience. Chapter 9 in: Mahanty, S., J. Fox, L. McLees, M. Nurse, and P. Stephen. Editors. 2006. Hanging in the Balance: equity in community-based natural resource management in Asia. Bangkok: RECOFTC and East-West Center. Available from: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/stored/misc/HangingInBalance09Nepal.pdf Pandit, B. H., and G. B. Thapa. 2004. Poverty and resource degradation under different common forest resource management systems in the mountains of Nepal. Society & Natural Resources 17:1-16. Quang, D. V., and T. N. Anh. 2006. Commercial collection of NTFPs and households living in or near the forests: Case study in Que, Con Cuong and Ma, Tuong Duong, Nghe An, Vietnam. Ecological Economics 60:65-74. Tewari, D. N. 1993. Non-timber forest produce in poverty alleviation. Indian Forester 119:959-969. Relevant Research Projects,
with links to the
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For relevant research projects, with links to further information Geographical regions included: India, Nepal, Peru,  Target Audiences for this content:Forest-dependent poor, |
