Abstract
Tribal communities of the Himalayas are known to possess varied traditional ecological knowledge since time immemorial. They use a variety of natural resources for food, fodder, fuelwood, medicine, etc. which is essential for their self-sustenance. Unfortunately, this traditional knowledge is now declining over the period because of several factors like modernization, migration, etc. This has implications in the field of conservation of traditional ecological knowledge, and sustainability of the Himalayan landscape. Thus, the present study was conducted in Pangi—a remote region located in the Western Himalayas to document traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) among the Pangwals, and the use of different natural resources in the region for self-sustenance by the people. Here we also discuss the fading TEK and the causal factors for the same. The traditional knowledge is declining in the villages that are close to roads as compared to far-flung villages. It is hoped that the present study from one of the remote areas of the Himalayas will inspire further work and lead to value addition/conservation of TEK. Surveys were conducted in 10 villages from July 2017 to September 2018 in different altitudinal ranges and a total of 120 informants were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires and group discussions. It was ensured to take prior consent of the informants before conducting interviews. Traditional Ecological Knowledge form an important component of the Pangwali lifestyle and culture. Due to the limited availability of food during winters and tough accessibility to the site, the Pangwals have developed unique traditional ways of using natural resources for self-sustenance.
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Acknowledgements
The Director, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur is highly acknowledged for providing facilities and encouragement. Thanks are also due to the financial assistance provided by DST, Govt. of India under the project entitled "Network programme on the convergence of traditional knowledge system for sustainable development in the Indian Himalayan Region". The authors are highly grateful to the indigenous people of the Pangi region for sharing their knowledge.
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Rana, D., Bhatt, A., Lal, B., Mohammed Latif, K. (2022). Assessing the Traditional Ecological Knowledge on Natural Resource Use Pattern for Self-Sustenance: A Case Study of Pangwals, Western Himalaya. In: Rai, S.C., Mishra, P.K. (eds) Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Resource Management in Asia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16840-6_7
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