Gopal Shukla - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Gopal Shukla

CABI Agriculture and Bioscience

Background Stevia rebaudiana is an economically important medicinal plant that has generated inte... more Background Stevia rebaudiana is an economically important medicinal plant that has generated interest among the growers and pharmacologists in terms of its industrial or pharmaceutical value. For the mass production of the seedlings, easy and convenient techniques are lacking while, micro propagation was reported promising but still out of reach at farm level. The unavailability of quality planting materials due to non-viable seeds is restricting its mass commercial scale cultivation. The present study was therefore attempted to standardize the plant growth regulators and growing media to standardize the vegetative propagation protocol through cuttings for its mass multiplication in Terai region of West Bengal, India. Methods Growing media (soil, FYM, saw dust and sand) as sole and in combination and growth hormones (IAA, IBA and NAA in different concentration and a commercial formulation i.e. Totoroot© with different exposure time) were compared with control (i.e. sole soil and no ...

Journal of Progressive Agriculture, 2012

In the era of climate change, the Chotanagpur plateau is facing extreme climate change related ev... more In the era of climate change, the Chotanagpur plateau is facing extreme climate change related events and its possible impact on ecosystem, livelihood, agriculture, livestock and biodiversity. The scientific community of region yet to start examining the views of farming communities on climate change and its possible impact in Chotanagpur plateau. Keeping this view's the present study as attempted to understand the present perception's of farmers about the climate change and also try to assess the indigenous knowledge to handle the impact of climate change. The perception of 355 respondents were examined through focus group discussion and recorded the opinion on climate change and its impact on ecosystem, agriculture, livelihood, livestock, biodiversity and well beings of human. Results of the study showed that farming communities of the Chotanagpur plateau have meager knowledge about the climate related change and its possible impact. It was also recorded that the farming c...

This chapter seeks to deliver an elucidation of the diverse technological attributes identifying ... more This chapter seeks to deliver an elucidation of the diverse technological attributes identifying the vastly effectuated and evolving technique of cryoconservation, a biotechnology developed to enable the prolonged storage of diversified flora. The foremost cryogenic methodologies and the pivotal phases for their effective adjustment to varied kinds of germplasms are expounded. Herein, numerous examples of cryopreservation of plant species are mentioned, to illustrate the incredible breakthrough that has been made, along with its additional roles in supporting genetic breeding programmes and in eliminating systemic plant pathogens by means of cryotherapy; thus making it an effective substitute for the purpose of conservation of germplasm.

Studies on biological diversity are usually descriptive and concentrated at higher spatial scales... more Studies on biological diversity are usually descriptive and concentrated at higher spatial scales and rarely concentrated at local landscapes. The present study is an attempt to describe and quantify the upper-storey vegetation of a forest at Terai Duars in West Bengal state, India. Stratified random nested quadrat sampling was adopted to mark 57 quadrats of size 20 x 20 m to describe the quantitative characters of upper-storey vegetation composition in the forest using number of individuals, occurrence of a species in quadrats, diameter, status of distribution and Importance Value Index (IVI). Upperstorey vegetation comprised 131 tree species, represented by 43 families and 92 genera. On the basis of total number of individuals recorded from all the quadrats, species were categorized as few, medium and high. The distribution status of species was described as frequent, rare and abundant in occurrence. The abundant species can be regarded as the prominent upper-storey species in the forest. This type of species occurrence is expected in typical species-rich tropical forests that reflect heterogeneity or distribution of dominance across the species. The tree species found in the forest were also described as very low diversity, low diversity, diverse and highly diverse, to indicate an overall picture of a species and their importance in the plant community. On the basis of diameter, the species were grouped as small, intermediate and large. This indicates that neither younger trees nor mature trees dominated in the forest. The quantitative characters described in this study could well act as indicators of change and susceptibility to anthropogenic stressors among various vegetation categories and their formation which could be further interpreted as a distinct wildlife habitat.

Land

In the modern era, Gmelina arborea plantations are a hotspot of future research because of their ... more In the modern era, Gmelina arborea plantations are a hotspot of future research because of their high carbon sequestration potential. The present work was conducted during 2018 to 2020 on a young unmanaged Gmelina farm to understand the ecosystem’s carbon and its dynamics. The study area was categorized into three age classes: ≤5, 5–10, and 10–15 years. In a plantation, Gmelina trees (10%) were randomly selected while other trees (90%) were also taken into the consideration for ecosystem carbon. A stratified random nested quadrate sampling method was adopted for analyzing other vegetation forms under study. Overall, 51 individual species in the studied Gmelina farm were found which includes 23 tree species, 7 shrub species, 16 herbs, 2 climbers, and 3 species of ferns. The estimated quantitative vegetation parameters and diversity indices indicate that the plant assemblages were heterogeneous with native diverse species evenly distributed with fairly higher densities, frequencies, a...

Land

In recent decades, carbon (C) management is an important point on the agenda to identify the best... more In recent decades, carbon (C) management is an important point on the agenda to identify the best viable mitigation strategies for its reduction. The study was conducted at Jaldapara National Park located in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. The study quantified litter production, decomposition, periodic nutrient release, soil fertility status, and soil organic carbon (SOC) of five major forest stands i.e., Tectona grandis (TGDS), Shorea robusta (SRDS), Michelia champaca (MCDS), Lagerstroemia parviflora (LPDS) and miscellaneous stand (MS). A stratified random nested quadrate method was adopted for sample collection. Results reveal that the greatest amount of litter production and decomposition was under MCDS followed by MS, LPDS, SRDS, and the smallest under TGDS. The material annual turnover through litter decomposition in all the stands varies between 96.46% and 99.34%. The content and amount of the available nutrients in litter varied significantly among the stands. Moreover...

Sustainable Agriculture, Forest and Environmental Management

Trees or other woody vegetation growing outside designated forest areas are known as trees outsid... more Trees or other woody vegetation growing outside designated forest areas are known as trees outside forest (TOFs). These trees have many ecosystem services and economic benefits like their potential role in agriculture, food supply and income by providing goods and services, conservation of biodiversity and carbon (C) sequestration. They can improve soil fertility through fixing atmospheric nitrogen, retaining soil moisture, regulating water shed, reducing topsoil loss and litter fall and regulating microclimate, thus increasing crop yield. In addition to providing aesthetic beauty especially to urban surroundings, they are pollutant sink, reduce ozone levels, check dust flow, reduce noise pollution and cools air temperature. Most importantly, these trees are useful timber resources and will alleviate pressure on native forests. Forest and TOF are thus considered as two faces of a coin in relation to their capacity for C stock and biodiversity. Substantial amount of trees are going on lands other than forest land used in every country with a potential of sequestering about 38 giga tonnes of C annually. In India, for example, there are about 24–25 thousand million TOFs, out of which trees in agricultural landscape in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh only sequester 20 million tonnes of C. The C sequestration potential of the TOFs is thus enormous to be included in global climate mitigation strategy through reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) activities. Moreover, as these are additional plantations, so are they complementary with other land uses in mitigating climate change. Unfortunately, due to absence of efficient inventory methods, TOFs are still not accounted fully in the national forest inventories, due to which very less or no information are available for TOFs. Accounting TOF and its services will not only help to understand its importance for national C budget but also its ecological and economic role benefiting human society.

Medicinal Plants - International Journal of Phytomedicines and Related Industries

Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willde. is a globally vulnerable tropical tree species with immense medicina... more Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willde. is a globally vulnerable tropical tree species with immense medicinal and aesthetic value. High demand for its bark in pharmacological industry resulted in severe reduction of its population in wild, thus paving way to adulteration. The declining population can only be restored and multiplied through both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. The seeds of the species were reported with less germination. The present study was therefore an attempt to improve the seed germination of the species with mechanical, water based and chemical based presowing treatments, which significantly improved the germination as compared to no presowing treatments (55%) except with boiling water based treatments (11.6618.33%) which significantly reduced germination. Exposing the plumule by rubbing the seed coat with sand paper and soaking the seeds in hot water (70°C) for 12 h significantly enhanced germination. Chemical based presowing treatments with salicylic acid and thiourea also enhanced germination by 1.67–15% and 13.33–31.66%, respectively over control. Higher the concentration of thiourea improved germination than salicylic acid. Temperature of water and exposure time to water also influenced germination. Increasing the temperature of water from room temperature to 70°C increased germination but further increasing the temperature significantly reduced germination over control. Increasing soaking time by 12–24 h, however reduced germination. In terai region of West Bengal, for faster, higher and smoother germination of S. asoca, adaptation of presowing seed treatment may be recommended especially via soaking the seeds in hot water for 12 h.

Forestry Research and Engineering: International Journal

Wood biomass from forest is the major source of domestic energy in most of the developing countri... more Wood biomass from forest is the major source of domestic energy in most of the developing countries. The present study was an attempt to document information on wood collection, consumption and species used for domestic energy needs by residents of both rural and urban villages in Ranchi district of Jharkhand state, India in different seasons round the year. Wood fuel is the major domestic fuel in the study area which is mainly collected from forests or non-forest lands or purchased. The fuel need is also supplemented by coal in urban localities. The consumption of wood and coal in both urban and rural areas increases during winter and gradually decreases from rainy to summer season. The quantity of wood consumption per family in study area varied from 2.5-6.5Kg/day in urban areas while it was 6.0-12.0Kg/day in rural areas. The wood of species Mangifera indica, Syzigium cumini, Gmelina arborea, Madhuca indica and Dalbergia sissoo were found mostly used for domestic energy purposes because of their availability. Firewood extraction by indigenous, rural and urban poor in our study area are no way causing loss to forest or threatening tree species to risk as they are using dead stems, twigs or branches of trees either from non-forest lands or from forest those species which are in lesser priority list of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Instead, there should be capacity built for involvement of urban poor in more and more afforestation/reforestation programmes of multipurpose species in non-forest lands and their rights safeguarded so that they can also use firewood solely for their domestic energy need and not supplement hydrocarbon fossils like coal.

The state of West Bengal is rich with high value medicinal plants on which a large number of comm... more The state of West Bengal is rich with high value medicinal plants on which a large number of communities depend. It is rich with high value medicinal plants on which a large number of communities depend for their medicinal needs. The present documentation has gathered information from published literature on pla nt based traditional medicine used by the dependent communities along with their traditional way of treating different stomach related diseases/disorders recorded from different regions of the state. The researchers found a total of 118 plant species which were used to treat different stomach diseases/disorders.Tree species dominat ed the list. Leaves/foliage of 44 species was dominantly used followed by roots.Common stomach diseases/disorders treated were dysentery, ulcer and stomach ache. Administration of medicine was either oral or external in the form of infusion, decoction, paste and latex either as a sole formula tion or in combination with other speci es. The collect...

AbstractThe study documented perception of forest fringe community of Chilapata reserve forest in... more AbstractThe study documented perception of forest fringe community of Chilapata reserve forest in West Bengal, India, from September 2013 to May 2015 through questionnaire-based personal in-depth interviews involving 400 respondents and group discussions. Adaptation strategies used by the community in response to impact of climate change were also documented. Majority of the respondents were farmers with marginal land holding. Almost all the respondents perceived the phenomena of climate change. The overall perception of the community toward change in temperature-related events and precipitation is high with average perception score of 0.74, while it is medium for change in regularity of climate events with score of 0.51. In spite of such perceptions, the community had low average livelihood impact perception score of 0.23. Considering the adaptation strategies based on knowledge–adoption index, the adaptation in response to climate change is at medium level with average mean score of 0.63. A total of 17 coping options were identified. Pre-monsoon dry seeding, agroforestry, crop rotation, short duration crop varieties and use of organic products were popular. The study recommend a need for scientists, government and non-government agents and other stakeholders to support efforts by farmers to adapt to effects of climate change through technological, policy and financial interventions with an aim of improving livelihoods and food security.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution

The present study was carried out in the homegardens of northern part of West Bengal. The study r... more The present study was carried out in the homegardens of northern part of West Bengal. The study reported species diversity, size and component arrangement in randomly selected 100 homegardens from north Bengal. The maximum species richness was 42 and minimum 12. The average size of the homegarden was 0.51 ha with maximum area of 2.66 ha and minimum of 0.06 ha. Out of total surveyed 100 homegardens, 45 had 8-18 species, 47 had 18-28 species and 8 had 28-38 species. Betel nut (Areca catechu L.) was found most common in 84 homegardens and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was least dominant in one homegarden. Animal component existed in 60% of the sampled households that included cattle (cows and goats), pigs, poultry and birds (hens and ducks). Ponds as a component of homegardens were observed in 11% of the homesteads whereas only animals in pond ecosystem of the homegarden were observed in only 2% of the household. The homegardens of north Bengal have good diversity and vital reservoir of unique genetic diversity and can be handful in-situ-conservation units for local plant diversity conservation.

Trees outside Forest (TOF) play a critical role in conservation of floristic diversity apart from... more Trees outside Forest (TOF) play a critical role in conservation of floristic diversity apart from being reservoirs of other ecosystem services. TOF includes all the trees, attained 10 cm or more diameters at breast height, available on lands, which is not notified as forests. The present study was conducted in the Pundibari campus of Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya to document the available tree diversity and their potential uses and ecosystem services. A total of 1816 numbers of individuals with dbh ≥ 10 cm of 95 woody perennials species were inventoried belonging to 79 genera and 38 families. The contribution among number of individuals was dominated by Mangifera indica with (9.19%). The overall dominant family was Fabaceae represented by 11 species followed by Arecaceae and Meliaceae. The contribution of inventoried 95 species was dominated by forestry tree species followed by road isde plantation, fruit crops and plantation crops respectively. The highest number of individuals among forestry plantation was for Terminalia arjuna (121) followed by Gmelina arborea (114) and Tectona grandis (95). The documented species were dominated by endemic flora (66.31%) and exotic flora (33.68%). Majority of the species (54) were of timber value, followed by food (50), fodder (36) and ethno-medicine (39). Based on the contribution to ecosystem services all the 95 species have the potential to sequest carbon followed by 46 species to provide beautification in the form of avenue/ornamental/roadside. The tree species richness and their potential ecosystem services documented in the present study can be a baseline study for further assessment of such landscapes and their significance under threatning environmental conditions.

We expected that the indigenous communities of Jaldapara National Park depend on the non-timber f... more We expected that the indigenous communities of Jaldapara National Park depend on the non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and there would be a relationship between socioeconomic variables and their dependency on NTFPs. The study also documented the gap between prices of NTFP items at the household level and in local markets. Multistage sampling procedures were applied with a sample size of 205. The data collected were analyzed through descriptive statistics and Chi-Square (χ2) test. Insignificant values of Chi-Square (χ2) test reveal that there is no association or relationship of NTFP dependency with the socioeconomic and demographic variables of the respondents. The communities do rely on NTFPs for their daily, sociocultural, and cash requirements and assure a safety net during scarcity. There is a variable contribution of NTFPs to total monthly household income (1-70%). We documented 43 species of NTFPs sold either as raw or as processed form. The NTFPs sold were in the form of twigs, shoot, fruit, seed, leaves, mushroom, and fish. A wide gap exists between the price realized by the community from the sale of NTFPs and those sold in the local markets. This calls for institutional intervention for capacity building and empowering the community for processing or value addition and market intelligence.

CABI Agriculture and Bioscience

Background Stevia rebaudiana is an economically important medicinal plant that has generated inte... more Background Stevia rebaudiana is an economically important medicinal plant that has generated interest among the growers and pharmacologists in terms of its industrial or pharmaceutical value. For the mass production of the seedlings, easy and convenient techniques are lacking while, micro propagation was reported promising but still out of reach at farm level. The unavailability of quality planting materials due to non-viable seeds is restricting its mass commercial scale cultivation. The present study was therefore attempted to standardize the plant growth regulators and growing media to standardize the vegetative propagation protocol through cuttings for its mass multiplication in Terai region of West Bengal, India. Methods Growing media (soil, FYM, saw dust and sand) as sole and in combination and growth hormones (IAA, IBA and NAA in different concentration and a commercial formulation i.e. Totoroot© with different exposure time) were compared with control (i.e. sole soil and no ...

Journal of Progressive Agriculture, 2012

In the era of climate change, the Chotanagpur plateau is facing extreme climate change related ev... more In the era of climate change, the Chotanagpur plateau is facing extreme climate change related events and its possible impact on ecosystem, livelihood, agriculture, livestock and biodiversity. The scientific community of region yet to start examining the views of farming communities on climate change and its possible impact in Chotanagpur plateau. Keeping this view's the present study as attempted to understand the present perception's of farmers about the climate change and also try to assess the indigenous knowledge to handle the impact of climate change. The perception of 355 respondents were examined through focus group discussion and recorded the opinion on climate change and its impact on ecosystem, agriculture, livelihood, livestock, biodiversity and well beings of human. Results of the study showed that farming communities of the Chotanagpur plateau have meager knowledge about the climate related change and its possible impact. It was also recorded that the farming c...

This chapter seeks to deliver an elucidation of the diverse technological attributes identifying ... more This chapter seeks to deliver an elucidation of the diverse technological attributes identifying the vastly effectuated and evolving technique of cryoconservation, a biotechnology developed to enable the prolonged storage of diversified flora. The foremost cryogenic methodologies and the pivotal phases for their effective adjustment to varied kinds of germplasms are expounded. Herein, numerous examples of cryopreservation of plant species are mentioned, to illustrate the incredible breakthrough that has been made, along with its additional roles in supporting genetic breeding programmes and in eliminating systemic plant pathogens by means of cryotherapy; thus making it an effective substitute for the purpose of conservation of germplasm.

Studies on biological diversity are usually descriptive and concentrated at higher spatial scales... more Studies on biological diversity are usually descriptive and concentrated at higher spatial scales and rarely concentrated at local landscapes. The present study is an attempt to describe and quantify the upper-storey vegetation of a forest at Terai Duars in West Bengal state, India. Stratified random nested quadrat sampling was adopted to mark 57 quadrats of size 20 x 20 m to describe the quantitative characters of upper-storey vegetation composition in the forest using number of individuals, occurrence of a species in quadrats, diameter, status of distribution and Importance Value Index (IVI). Upperstorey vegetation comprised 131 tree species, represented by 43 families and 92 genera. On the basis of total number of individuals recorded from all the quadrats, species were categorized as few, medium and high. The distribution status of species was described as frequent, rare and abundant in occurrence. The abundant species can be regarded as the prominent upper-storey species in the forest. This type of species occurrence is expected in typical species-rich tropical forests that reflect heterogeneity or distribution of dominance across the species. The tree species found in the forest were also described as very low diversity, low diversity, diverse and highly diverse, to indicate an overall picture of a species and their importance in the plant community. On the basis of diameter, the species were grouped as small, intermediate and large. This indicates that neither younger trees nor mature trees dominated in the forest. The quantitative characters described in this study could well act as indicators of change and susceptibility to anthropogenic stressors among various vegetation categories and their formation which could be further interpreted as a distinct wildlife habitat.

Land

In the modern era, Gmelina arborea plantations are a hotspot of future research because of their ... more In the modern era, Gmelina arborea plantations are a hotspot of future research because of their high carbon sequestration potential. The present work was conducted during 2018 to 2020 on a young unmanaged Gmelina farm to understand the ecosystem’s carbon and its dynamics. The study area was categorized into three age classes: ≤5, 5–10, and 10–15 years. In a plantation, Gmelina trees (10%) were randomly selected while other trees (90%) were also taken into the consideration for ecosystem carbon. A stratified random nested quadrate sampling method was adopted for analyzing other vegetation forms under study. Overall, 51 individual species in the studied Gmelina farm were found which includes 23 tree species, 7 shrub species, 16 herbs, 2 climbers, and 3 species of ferns. The estimated quantitative vegetation parameters and diversity indices indicate that the plant assemblages were heterogeneous with native diverse species evenly distributed with fairly higher densities, frequencies, a...

Land

In recent decades, carbon (C) management is an important point on the agenda to identify the best... more In recent decades, carbon (C) management is an important point on the agenda to identify the best viable mitigation strategies for its reduction. The study was conducted at Jaldapara National Park located in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. The study quantified litter production, decomposition, periodic nutrient release, soil fertility status, and soil organic carbon (SOC) of five major forest stands i.e., Tectona grandis (TGDS), Shorea robusta (SRDS), Michelia champaca (MCDS), Lagerstroemia parviflora (LPDS) and miscellaneous stand (MS). A stratified random nested quadrate method was adopted for sample collection. Results reveal that the greatest amount of litter production and decomposition was under MCDS followed by MS, LPDS, SRDS, and the smallest under TGDS. The material annual turnover through litter decomposition in all the stands varies between 96.46% and 99.34%. The content and amount of the available nutrients in litter varied significantly among the stands. Moreover...

Sustainable Agriculture, Forest and Environmental Management

Trees or other woody vegetation growing outside designated forest areas are known as trees outsid... more Trees or other woody vegetation growing outside designated forest areas are known as trees outside forest (TOFs). These trees have many ecosystem services and economic benefits like their potential role in agriculture, food supply and income by providing goods and services, conservation of biodiversity and carbon (C) sequestration. They can improve soil fertility through fixing atmospheric nitrogen, retaining soil moisture, regulating water shed, reducing topsoil loss and litter fall and regulating microclimate, thus increasing crop yield. In addition to providing aesthetic beauty especially to urban surroundings, they are pollutant sink, reduce ozone levels, check dust flow, reduce noise pollution and cools air temperature. Most importantly, these trees are useful timber resources and will alleviate pressure on native forests. Forest and TOF are thus considered as two faces of a coin in relation to their capacity for C stock and biodiversity. Substantial amount of trees are going on lands other than forest land used in every country with a potential of sequestering about 38 giga tonnes of C annually. In India, for example, there are about 24–25 thousand million TOFs, out of which trees in agricultural landscape in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh only sequester 20 million tonnes of C. The C sequestration potential of the TOFs is thus enormous to be included in global climate mitigation strategy through reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) activities. Moreover, as these are additional plantations, so are they complementary with other land uses in mitigating climate change. Unfortunately, due to absence of efficient inventory methods, TOFs are still not accounted fully in the national forest inventories, due to which very less or no information are available for TOFs. Accounting TOF and its services will not only help to understand its importance for national C budget but also its ecological and economic role benefiting human society.

Medicinal Plants - International Journal of Phytomedicines and Related Industries

Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willde. is a globally vulnerable tropical tree species with immense medicina... more Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willde. is a globally vulnerable tropical tree species with immense medicinal and aesthetic value. High demand for its bark in pharmacological industry resulted in severe reduction of its population in wild, thus paving way to adulteration. The declining population can only be restored and multiplied through both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. The seeds of the species were reported with less germination. The present study was therefore an attempt to improve the seed germination of the species with mechanical, water based and chemical based presowing treatments, which significantly improved the germination as compared to no presowing treatments (55%) except with boiling water based treatments (11.6618.33%) which significantly reduced germination. Exposing the plumule by rubbing the seed coat with sand paper and soaking the seeds in hot water (70°C) for 12 h significantly enhanced germination. Chemical based presowing treatments with salicylic acid and thiourea also enhanced germination by 1.67–15% and 13.33–31.66%, respectively over control. Higher the concentration of thiourea improved germination than salicylic acid. Temperature of water and exposure time to water also influenced germination. Increasing the temperature of water from room temperature to 70°C increased germination but further increasing the temperature significantly reduced germination over control. Increasing soaking time by 12–24 h, however reduced germination. In terai region of West Bengal, for faster, higher and smoother germination of S. asoca, adaptation of presowing seed treatment may be recommended especially via soaking the seeds in hot water for 12 h.

Forestry Research and Engineering: International Journal

Wood biomass from forest is the major source of domestic energy in most of the developing countri... more Wood biomass from forest is the major source of domestic energy in most of the developing countries. The present study was an attempt to document information on wood collection, consumption and species used for domestic energy needs by residents of both rural and urban villages in Ranchi district of Jharkhand state, India in different seasons round the year. Wood fuel is the major domestic fuel in the study area which is mainly collected from forests or non-forest lands or purchased. The fuel need is also supplemented by coal in urban localities. The consumption of wood and coal in both urban and rural areas increases during winter and gradually decreases from rainy to summer season. The quantity of wood consumption per family in study area varied from 2.5-6.5Kg/day in urban areas while it was 6.0-12.0Kg/day in rural areas. The wood of species Mangifera indica, Syzigium cumini, Gmelina arborea, Madhuca indica and Dalbergia sissoo were found mostly used for domestic energy purposes because of their availability. Firewood extraction by indigenous, rural and urban poor in our study area are no way causing loss to forest or threatening tree species to risk as they are using dead stems, twigs or branches of trees either from non-forest lands or from forest those species which are in lesser priority list of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Instead, there should be capacity built for involvement of urban poor in more and more afforestation/reforestation programmes of multipurpose species in non-forest lands and their rights safeguarded so that they can also use firewood solely for their domestic energy need and not supplement hydrocarbon fossils like coal.

The state of West Bengal is rich with high value medicinal plants on which a large number of comm... more The state of West Bengal is rich with high value medicinal plants on which a large number of communities depend. It is rich with high value medicinal plants on which a large number of communities depend for their medicinal needs. The present documentation has gathered information from published literature on pla nt based traditional medicine used by the dependent communities along with their traditional way of treating different stomach related diseases/disorders recorded from different regions of the state. The researchers found a total of 118 plant species which were used to treat different stomach diseases/disorders.Tree species dominat ed the list. Leaves/foliage of 44 species was dominantly used followed by roots.Common stomach diseases/disorders treated were dysentery, ulcer and stomach ache. Administration of medicine was either oral or external in the form of infusion, decoction, paste and latex either as a sole formula tion or in combination with other speci es. The collect...

AbstractThe study documented perception of forest fringe community of Chilapata reserve forest in... more AbstractThe study documented perception of forest fringe community of Chilapata reserve forest in West Bengal, India, from September 2013 to May 2015 through questionnaire-based personal in-depth interviews involving 400 respondents and group discussions. Adaptation strategies used by the community in response to impact of climate change were also documented. Majority of the respondents were farmers with marginal land holding. Almost all the respondents perceived the phenomena of climate change. The overall perception of the community toward change in temperature-related events and precipitation is high with average perception score of 0.74, while it is medium for change in regularity of climate events with score of 0.51. In spite of such perceptions, the community had low average livelihood impact perception score of 0.23. Considering the adaptation strategies based on knowledge–adoption index, the adaptation in response to climate change is at medium level with average mean score of 0.63. A total of 17 coping options were identified. Pre-monsoon dry seeding, agroforestry, crop rotation, short duration crop varieties and use of organic products were popular. The study recommend a need for scientists, government and non-government agents and other stakeholders to support efforts by farmers to adapt to effects of climate change through technological, policy and financial interventions with an aim of improving livelihoods and food security.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution

The present study was carried out in the homegardens of northern part of West Bengal. The study r... more The present study was carried out in the homegardens of northern part of West Bengal. The study reported species diversity, size and component arrangement in randomly selected 100 homegardens from north Bengal. The maximum species richness was 42 and minimum 12. The average size of the homegarden was 0.51 ha with maximum area of 2.66 ha and minimum of 0.06 ha. Out of total surveyed 100 homegardens, 45 had 8-18 species, 47 had 18-28 species and 8 had 28-38 species. Betel nut (Areca catechu L.) was found most common in 84 homegardens and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was least dominant in one homegarden. Animal component existed in 60% of the sampled households that included cattle (cows and goats), pigs, poultry and birds (hens and ducks). Ponds as a component of homegardens were observed in 11% of the homesteads whereas only animals in pond ecosystem of the homegarden were observed in only 2% of the household. The homegardens of north Bengal have good diversity and vital reservoir of unique genetic diversity and can be handful in-situ-conservation units for local plant diversity conservation.

Trees outside Forest (TOF) play a critical role in conservation of floristic diversity apart from... more Trees outside Forest (TOF) play a critical role in conservation of floristic diversity apart from being reservoirs of other ecosystem services. TOF includes all the trees, attained 10 cm or more diameters at breast height, available on lands, which is not notified as forests. The present study was conducted in the Pundibari campus of Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya to document the available tree diversity and their potential uses and ecosystem services. A total of 1816 numbers of individuals with dbh ≥ 10 cm of 95 woody perennials species were inventoried belonging to 79 genera and 38 families. The contribution among number of individuals was dominated by Mangifera indica with (9.19%). The overall dominant family was Fabaceae represented by 11 species followed by Arecaceae and Meliaceae. The contribution of inventoried 95 species was dominated by forestry tree species followed by road isde plantation, fruit crops and plantation crops respectively. The highest number of individuals among forestry plantation was for Terminalia arjuna (121) followed by Gmelina arborea (114) and Tectona grandis (95). The documented species were dominated by endemic flora (66.31%) and exotic flora (33.68%). Majority of the species (54) were of timber value, followed by food (50), fodder (36) and ethno-medicine (39). Based on the contribution to ecosystem services all the 95 species have the potential to sequest carbon followed by 46 species to provide beautification in the form of avenue/ornamental/roadside. The tree species richness and their potential ecosystem services documented in the present study can be a baseline study for further assessment of such landscapes and their significance under threatning environmental conditions.

We expected that the indigenous communities of Jaldapara National Park depend on the non-timber f... more We expected that the indigenous communities of Jaldapara National Park depend on the non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and there would be a relationship between socioeconomic variables and their dependency on NTFPs. The study also documented the gap between prices of NTFP items at the household level and in local markets. Multistage sampling procedures were applied with a sample size of 205. The data collected were analyzed through descriptive statistics and Chi-Square (χ2) test. Insignificant values of Chi-Square (χ2) test reveal that there is no association or relationship of NTFP dependency with the socioeconomic and demographic variables of the respondents. The communities do rely on NTFPs for their daily, sociocultural, and cash requirements and assure a safety net during scarcity. There is a variable contribution of NTFPs to total monthly household income (1-70%). We documented 43 species of NTFPs sold either as raw or as processed form. The NTFPs sold were in the form of twigs, shoot, fruit, seed, leaves, mushroom, and fish. A wide gap exists between the price realized by the community from the sale of NTFPs and those sold in the local markets. This calls for institutional intervention for capacity building and empowering the community for processing or value addition and market intelligence.