Browsing by Author "Setty, R. Siddappa"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Evaluation of a Participatory Resource Monitoring System for Nontimber Forest Products: The Case of Amla (Phyllanthus spp.) Fruit Harvest by Soligas in South India
(2008) Setty, R. Siddappa; Bawa, Kamal; Ticktin, Tamara; Gowda, C. Made
"Enhancing incomes from the sustainable harvest of nontimber forest products can help to maintain local livelihoods and provide local communities with economic incentives to conserve biodiversity. A key feature of a successful enterprise approach to the conservation of these products is a sound monitoring and evaluation program that involves all concerned stakeholders and leads to adaptive management. However, few studies have presented any of the approaches, successes, or challenges involved in participatory monitoring initiatives for nontimber forest products. We present our experiences using a participatory research model that we developed and used over a 10 yr (1995-2005) period for the wild harvesting of Phyllanthus spp. fruits (amla) by indigenous Soliga harvesters in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, South India. We describe the establishment and evolution of our participatory resource monitoring activities, compare some of the results of our activities to those obtained from monitoring using standard ecological approaches, and evaluate some of the successes and challenges associated with our participatory resource model. An initial step in this work was the establishment of Soliga-run enterprises for the processing and value addition of amla and other nontimber forest products. Participatory resource monitoring activities consisted of participatory mapping and assessments of fruit production, fruit harvest and regeneration combined with pre and postharvesting meetings for sharing information, and adaptive management. Over the years, harvesters rejected, changed, and adapted various participatory resource monitoring methods to select those most appropriate for them. Visual estimates of fruit production made by harvesters at the forest level were very similar to estimates obtained using standard scientific monitoring protocols. Participatory research monitoring techniques that were effective included strategies for participatory resource mapping, fruit productivity estimation, and promotion of improved harvest techniques. Major challenges involved ensuring adequate incentives for monitoring activities that lead to benefits only over the longer term, such as monitoring of extraction and regeneration rates. Maintaining long-term participation and interest in the latter requires ensuring resource tenure."
Extraction of Honey from Rock Bee (Apis dorsata) by Soliga Tribes in BR Hills
(1996) Setty, R. Siddappa; Murali, K. S.; Bawa, K. S.
"A study was taken in BR hills, Mysore district as a part of sustainable forest resource utilization on wild honey extraction from Apis dorsata. We laid 17 transects along areas where normally hives are constructed by rock bees. We took data on the number of hives per transect and extrapolated the honey production and extraction to the entire sanctuary of 540 sq kms. We also took data on all 13 rock cliffs where honey combs were present in the sanctuary and a exhaustive survey of honey comb was undertaken. We also undertook surveys to record the number harvested combs in each of these sites. We find that there is great variation between years i.e.. during 1995 and 1996 These variations are attributed to natural variations occurring which are intrinsic to biology of honey bees and not attributable to the extent of harvest made by the Soligas. Soligas, although harvested over 80 percent of hives in 1995 but in the following year, the production potential was over 22 tons which was more than the production potential of 1995 which was only 13 tons. We also find circumstantial evidence that Soligas are harvesting the hives in a sustainable fashion and not in an unsustainable fashion."
Regeneration of Amla, an Important Non-Timber Forest Product from Southern India
(2004) Ganesan, R.; Setty, R. Siddappa
"Amla fruits collected from Phyllanthus emblica and P. indofischeri are an important non-timber forest product for the indigenous Soliga community in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Seedlings, saplings and trees of these two congeners were monitored over three years in ten 0.1 ha plots each to assess and compare their regeneration status. The densities of seedlings and of adult trees of both species were similar, but the density of saplings of P. emblica was lower than that of P. indofischeri. The size class distribution of P. indofischeri, but not of P. emblica, followed the inverse J-shaped curve typically associated with regenerating populations, suggesting a higher mortality of seedlings and saplings of P. emblica than of P. indofischeri. Furthermore, re-sprouting individuals - presumably a response to damage by fire or grazing - constituted a larger proportion of the population in the case of P. emblica and may constitute a future population bottleneck. We suggest that anthropogenic pressures other than harvest could be responsible for differences in population structure between these two species, which are managed under similar harvest intensities and subject to similar disturbance regimes."