DIVERSITY AND STATUS OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS IN SOUTHERN HILLS OF KAVREPALANCHOK DISTRICT, CENTRAL NEPAL

Abstract

This study was carried out in Kalanti Bhumidada and Dada gaun of Kavrepalanchok district to explore and document the knowledge and practices on the use of Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) plants for different purposes by the local community. Three field visits were made during the study period from 2022-2023. During every visit, plant specimens were collected, and information was gathered through interview using a semi-structured questionnaire. The total count of plants utilized by the local community as NTFPs from the study site was documented by directly interviewing 60 participants. Rapid rural appraisal (RRA) was used to gather, confirm, and validate information during the field visit. It was found that the older generation possessed more knowledge about NTFPs compared to the younger generation. Overall, 122 species were found to be NTFPs belonging to 62 families and 105 genera. The highest number of species was recorded in families Asteraceae followed by Rosaceae. The highest numbers of NTFPs are known to be harvested from different plant parts such as leaves, followed by fruits, root and shoot. Largest numbers of species are reported with medicinal use value followed by food and vegetables, fodder and animal medicine, religious and social use, fuel, handicraft and construction. Some of the highly useful NTFP species based on use value index are Achyranthes bidentata, Myrica esculenta, Morus alba and Rhododendron arboreum. Among medicinal plants, the highest informant consensus factor (FIC) value was obtained for Ureo-genital (0.913), Jundice (0.869) and Respiratory problems (0.867) repectively. Fidelity level shows high use of Argentina lineata and Astilbe rivularis to treat menstrual and pregnancy problems. The study highlighted the ecological significance of various NTFP species based on Density, Frequency, Abundance, and IVI analysis. The species with the highest IVI were Tsuga dumosa (38.31), Berberis aristata (29.1) and Trifolium repens (15.06), indicating their dominance among trees, shrubs, and herbs respectively. The high Simpson and Shannon-Wiener index values indicated a diverse and evenly distributed NTFP community in the study area. This research provides information on the importance of NTFPs for the sustenance of local communities and emphasizes the need for their conservation and sustainable management to preserve biodiversity and ecological balance.