Abstract

Prioritization of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) of commercial value as per people's perception has high implications for conservation as well increasing community incomes through domestication. Based on a study done in Western Arunachal Pradesh, where as many as 343 NTFPs are collected from wild habitats and used by five tribal communities, an exercise of community preference matrix for prioritization of best NTFPs for adoption in traditional farming systems was performed. It was accomplished through focused group discussion by assessing community choice and preferences of NTFPs along with a further prioritization of species by matching them with each other. The communities identified 23 potential NTFPs that can fetch high incomes to rural communities. Most preferred species were Illicium griffithii, Swertia chirayita, Panax bipinnitifedum, Taxus wallichiana, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Cordyceps sinensis, Gymnadania orchidis, Wallichia densiflora, Aconitum fetcherianum, Rubia cordifolia and Valeriana jatamansii. Among all Illicium griffithii was most preferred species that has high prospective to be domesticated. Status assessment of six species was also done. To meet community livelihoods from NTFPs, it desires a thorough domestication and management plan for these species which will help to increase community income and also conserve them in their natural habitats.

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