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Millions of households globally rely on uncultivated ecosystems for their livelihoods. However, much of the understanding about the broader contribution of uncultivated ecosystems to human wellbeing is still based on a series of small-scale studies due to limited availability of large-scale datasets. We pooled together 11 comparable datasets comprising 232 settlements and 10,971 households in ten low-and middle-income countries, representing forest, savanna and coastal ecosystems to analyse how uncultivated nature contributes to multi-dimensional wellbeing and how benefits from nature are distributed between households. The resulting dataset integrates secondary data on rural livelihoods, multidimensional human wellbeing, household demographics, resource tenure and social-ecological context, primarily drawing on nine existing household surveys and their associated contextual information together with selected variables, such as travel time to cities, population density, local area GDP and land use and land cover from existing global datasets. This integrated dataset has been archived with ReShare (UK Data Service) and will be useful for further analyses on nature-wellbeing relationships on its own or in combination with similar datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae), commonly-known as chebulic myrobalan is one of the important Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) species which is harvested for its fruits and galls. The species known as the "King of medicines" is used widely in Ayurveda, Sidda, Unani, and traditional Chinese medicines for curing a wide variety of diseases in Asia and Africa. Terminalia chebula is an important ingredient of Triphala (Ayurvedic medicine) along with Terminalia bellirica and Phyllanthus emblica. The fruits of the tree also yields a dye which is used as an organic dye in the textile industries. In recent years, there is an increasing demand for herbal remedies and organic dyes, resulting in extensive extraction of fruits and galls from T. chebula. In this study, the major objective was to identify sites for the conservation of T. chebula and to identify important environmental variables determining its distribution. Based on the existing species distribution records (primary and secondary), along with a suite of climatic variables, the present and future distribution of the species were predicted. The study identified ecological niches that are suitable for the cultivation of the species; the species occurs in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, China, Laos, Thailand, Bhutan, Taiwan, Nepal and Bangladesh under the current climatic scenario. Within India, our results suggest that the central and south India are highly suitable in the current scenario. The mean annual temperature, temperature seasonality and isothermality seem to be the most important variables determining the distribution of the species which is directly influenced by climate change. Overall, the study indicated that under the future climate change scenarios the distribution of T. chebula is likely to decrease. The results indicate that T. chebula is highly vulnerable to climate change. Considering the economic importance of the species, it is important to understand how the species distribution will alter in the wake of climate change to develop effective conservation strategies. The study also provides important environment variables that determine the species distribution which could aid in identifying areas where the species could be cultivated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phyllanthus emblica and P. indofischeri, commonly known as the Indian gooseberry, are important nontimber forest product (NTFP) species widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent. The fruits of these species are rich in vitamin C and are used in the preparation of a number of herbal medicines for treating a wide range of disorders. Due to the increased demand, they have been harvested extensively and form a major source of income for the forest-dwelling communities living in southern India. There are limited studies to understand the impact of harvesting on the genetic structure of these species. In this study, 15 polymorphic microsatellite markers have been developed for P. emblica and were characterized by screening 20 individuals each of P. emblica and P. indofischeri. The number of alleles per locus ranged 2-9 for P. emblica and 2-11 for P. indofischeri. The observed and expected heterozygosity of P. emblica ranged 0-1 and 0.401-0.825, respectively. Similarly, the observed and expected heterozygosity of P. indofischeri ranged 0.5-1 and 0.366-0.842, respectively. Cross-amplification of the designed primers was assessed with seven related Phyllanthus species. The microsatellite markers developed can be used for studying the population genetic structure, gene flow and genetic diversity of P. emblica and P. indofischeri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines trends in farming and livelihood activities among forest-dwellingAdivasifarmers (Soligas) in a tiger reserve from 2008 to 2015. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted in two contrasting, but representative, villages, where traditional mixed-crop farming was being replaced by cash crops such as coffee, maize, and cotton. Access to state-subsidized food supply and increase in cash income through wage labor, coupled with increasing depredation of food crops by wild animals, were some causes for the shift to cash crops. Declining supply of non-timber forest produce (NTFP) and the subsistence cash it provided has also impacted farmer livelihoods and indirectly contributed to this shift. The changing aspirations of younger Soligas and inadequate state support for mixed-crop farming also could be contributing factors. Soligas consistently maintained that increased wildlife depredation of food crops, reduction in supplies of wild foods, and the decline in NTFP was due to poor forest health. The transition to cash crops improved cash flows but exposed the Soligas to market risks. While food security also improved, the nutritional quality of diet declined. Soligas are adopting new farming practices, diets, and livelihood strategies, and importantly, leveraging rights historically denied to them, all a reflection of their social resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Multiple actors are typically involved in forest management, namely communities, managers and researchers. In such cases, suboptimal management outcomes may, in addition to other factors, be symptomatic of a divergence in perspectives among these actors driven by fundamental differences in ecological knowledge. We examine the degree of congruence between the understandings of actors surrounding key issues of management concern in three case studies from tropical, subtropical and boreal forests. We identify commonly encountered points of divergence in ecological knowledge relating to key management processes and issues. We use these to formulate seven hypotheses about differences in the bodies of knowledge that frequently underlie communication and learning failures in forest management contexts where multiple actors are involved and outcomes are judged to be suboptimal. Finally, we present a set of propositions to acknowledge and narrow these differences. A more complete recognition of the full triangulation between all actors involved, and of the influence that fundamental differences in ecological knowledge can exert, may help lead to a more fruitful integration between local knowledge and practice, manager knowledge and practice, and contemporary science in forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticktin et al. (2012) ( Journal of Applied Ecology, 49, 774) assessed the dynamics of two Indian tree species ( Phyllanthus emblica and P. indofischeri) and showed that although fruit harvest can decrease long-term population growth rates (λ), the principal drivers of decline are mistletoe infestation and invasion of an exotic shrub. Prasad et al. (2014) ( Journal of Applied Ecology, 51, doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12170) questioned Ticktin et al.'s approach, showed that P. emblica λ values increased when fruit harvest was banned and concluded that fruit harvest has a significant negative effect. We demonstrate that Prasad et al.'s analysis is fundamentally flawed and that our conclusions hold firm., We clarify that our models are built from empirical data collected from field plots. We use life table response experiments to demonstrate that the increase in P. emblica λs after the fruit harvest ban is due to higher adult survival and unrelated to fruit harvest. P. indofischeri populations show no such increase., We demonstrate that our results and the literature strongly back up our management recommendations to control mistletoe and the invasive shrub, and protect amla saplings., Synthesis and applications. Prasad et al. (2014) confound the effects of time and treatment and therefore reach erroneous conclusions. This highlights the importance of careful analyses to disentangle the effects of multiple drivers of decline for species at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Tropical plant populations are often subject to multiple types of anthropogenic disturbance. Effective management requires disentangling the effects of these disturbances and prioritizing interventions for the driver(s) most responsible for population decline. However, the effects of multiple drivers on plant population dynamics are rarely examined. 2. We assessed the independent and combined effects of common anthropogenic disturbances on the transient and long-term population dynamics of two economically important, declining tree species in an Indian dry forest. Specifically, we drew on 10 years of demographic monitoring to assess the effects of non-timber forest product (NTFP) harvest and two invasive species (an understorey shrub Lantana camara and a mistletoe Taxillus tomentosus) on amla ( Phyllanthus emblica and Phyllanthus indofischeri) populations. 3. Although fruit harvest has been blamed for declining amla populations, the current policy and management strategies implemented to restrict it have little effect on long-term stochastic growth rates (λs) of amla both with and without invasive species. In contrast, mistletoes significantly decreased λs of both species. 4. Lantana had both direct and indirect effects on P. emblica, causing a regeneration bottleneck. Lantana had a direct negative effect on seeding and sapling growth, whereas populations without lantana experienced higher levels of grazing by wild animals. Over 10 years, P. emblica populations dropped to 16% of their original size in areas with invasive species. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our results illustrate that mistletoe and lantana, not fruit harvest, are the main drivers of amla decline, and these species are likely to be driving the decline of other Indian dry forest tree species. Management directed only at limiting fruit harvest will be ineffective. Instead, control of both invasive species combined with temporary protection from grazing is urgently needed. The ban on fruit harvest in Indian protected areas is not an effective conservation policy for these species. Harvest is not necessarily the main cause of decline for NTFP species. Management plans for NTFP and other at-risk species must consider the relative effects of different drivers of decline, including direct and indirect effects of invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soliga tribes in the Western Ghats, India harvest some NTFPs (non-timber forest products) for religious purposes. They extract gum-resin from Boswellia serrata Roxb. in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT), Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), and Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (MMH) in the state of Karnataka, India. They use gum-resin as a cultural offering to the deities in the temples in these study sites and in their households. The traditional harvesting practices adopted by the Soliga tribes in these protected areas, types of gum-resin extracted, and the nature of the extraction processes were examined. The research undertook 346 household surveys with gum-resin harvesters and non-harvesters across 15 villages, along with 60 field trips with the harvesters, during which field harvesting activities and practices were noted. Six different types of gum-resin were harvested, with marked differences between the three sites. Because of the different types of gum-resin, the quantities harvested were also significantly different between sites. Approximately 80% of the harvesters were aware of some harmful methods of harvesting gum-resin, and some harvesters highlighted that B. serrata trees would yield gum-resin only when damaged. Such damage could be human-made or through the effects of elephants, wind, Trigona honey harvest, deer horns or body rubbing and longhorn beetles. Most (81%) of the non-harvesters surveyed previously practiced gum-resin harvesting but had ceased for a variety of reasons, mostly because of insufficient demand and hence income from the sale of gum-resin, insufficient supply, or fear of wild animals in the forests. Considering these cultural practices, experiences, and beliefs of the Soliga communities can help inform management plans and conservation of the species in its natural habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of the Study: Boswellia serrata (Burseraceae) is an economically important aromatic, gum‐resin–yielding, non‐timber forest tree species. Microsatellite markers were developed for B. serrata for the first time to study genetic diversity and population structure. Methods and Results: A magnetic bead enrichment method was used to develop 16 microsatellite markers, of which 11 were polymorphic. The number of alleles per locus in the 60 individuals studied ranged from three to 10, and the levels of observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.50 to 0.90 and 0.666 to 0.861, respectively. The primers successfully amplified in the congeneric species B. ovalifoliolata. Conclusions: These microsatellite markers can be used to study the genetic variation and population structure of B. serrata and to provide crucial information on population and ecological issues for management and conservation of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]