08-08-2025
Study finds decline in use of non-timber forest products in forested landscapes of Karnataka, Kerala
Scientists in a new study conducted in eight diverse forested landscapes in the States of Karnataka and Kerala have found that many households noted a decline in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) use over the last decade due to restricted forest access, decline in resource availability, and new livelihood opportunities.
The scientists interviewed 641 households across eight forested landscapes in southwestern India to understand the extraction patterns of NTFPs. 'This study sheds light on the nuances of engagement in such activities, using empirical data from eight diverse forested landscapes in the States of Kerala and Karnataka,' CWS said.
The eight landscapes included Sirsi-Honnavara, Sharavathi, Mookambika, Someshwara, Kudremukh, Brahmagiri, Parambikulam, and Periyar.
According to the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), NTFPs are a critical resource for rural communities in the Global South, supporting the lives of an estimated 2.77 billion people.
The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 641 households, and owing to the overlap in extraction for multiple purposes, they classified households along a four-tier scale of extraction engagement: 0 – Not involved in NTFP extraction (38.68%); 1 – Gather only fuelwood and leaf litter (8.73%); 2 – Extract NTFPs only for household/domestic use (24.80%); 3 – Extract at least one species for commercial sale (27.76%).
'Importantly, a large number of households (73.28%) reported that their extraction activity had decreased over the past decade. The most commonly cited reasons included reduced access to forests, decline in resource availability, and improvement in the availability of alternative livelihoods,' CWS said.
Sikha Hariharan from the Centre for Wildlife Studies and Manipal Academy of Higher Education who is the lead author of the study said, 'The region-wide examination of extraction patterns helped us capture regional differences in household-level engagement across multiple landscapes, including previously underrepresented areas in NTFP studies. The reports about declining natural availability of forest resources are concerning and call for long-term ecological studies and monitoring programs to track changes in NTFP availability, extraction rates, and ecological impacts over time.'
Co-authors of the study include Yogita Karpate, Conservation Initiatives; Karen A. Kainer, University of Florida; Krithi K. Karanth, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Duke University, and Divya Vasudev, Conservation Initiatives.
