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- Title
Utilization of fuelwood species by the Bhangalis community of western Himalaya, India.
- Authors
Sharma, Alpy; Uniyal, Sanjay Kr.; Batish, Daizy Rani; Singh, Harminder P.
- Abstract
The present study was conducted among the Bhangalis, a resident community of Chhota Bhangal (Himachal Pradesh), to document their fuelwood use and knowledge variations with sociocultural factors. For this, recordings were carried out with the Bhangalis (n = 240, from 6 villages) who were selected in a stratified manner to be representative of gender, age, and education of the community. A total of 29 fuelwood species were mentioned by the Bhangalis; however, only 22 of these were used as fuel. A significant difference in the mean number of species known to the Bhangalis (10.02 ± 0.2) and those used by them (4.99 ± 0.1) was revealed (Z = − 13.252; p < 0.001). The highest Informant Consensus Factor was recorded for Picea smithiana Boiss. (0.88) followed by Cedrus deodara G. Don (0.85). Seasonal variations in the quantity of fuelwood collected and used were recorded. Besides, we noted that larger families used significantly more quantity of wood than smaller families (p = 0.02). Also, males possessed significantly more knowledge of fuelwood species in comparison to females (H = 15.016; p < 0.05). Further, age of the informants significantly correlated with the number of fuelwood species known (rs = 0.284; p < 0.05) and used (rs = 0.179; p < 0.05). Thus, there is a need for creating awareness and devising locally driven conservation policies based on the traditional knowledge of the community.
- Subjects
HIMALAYA Mountains; INDIA; FUELWOOD; COMMUNITIES; TRADITIONAL knowledge; NUMBERS of species; SOCIOCULTURAL factors; TRADITIONAL ecological knowledge
- Publication
Environment, Development & Sustainability, 2023, Vol 25, Issue 4, p3577
- ISSN
1387-585X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10668-022-02188-8