Communities come together to document 150 Kaziranga resources

Guwahati: In an effort to protect and advance indigenous knowledge of bio resources in a protected area, Kaziranga National Park authorities have documented more than 150 marketable natural resources based on the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of communities living along the fringes of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR).The initiative was carried out with support from the Assam State Biodiversity Board and Assam Project on Forest & Biodiversity Conservation Phase II.Officials said on Tuesday that these semi-wild resources ranged from seasonal fruits and vegetables from fields, orchards and riverine areas to medicinal plants and fibres sustained by Kaziranga’s distinctive ecosystems.The park authority said the documentation highlighted how high-biodiversity areas sustained habitats that supported these resources, which were central to the everyday livelihoods of local communities. The work recorded over 150 species of plants and other biological resources from forest-edge villages across 3 wildlife divisions in Kaziranga.“Over 178 households and 361 community members from Mising, Karbi, Bodo, Adivasi, Assamese and Nepali communities shared their traditional ecological knowledge on food, medicine, crafts, rituals and coexistence with wildlife,” said KNPTR field director Sonali Ghosh.The next stage will examine the possibility of obtaining geographical indication (GI) tagging for selected community-based products. “By recognising these resources, we pave the way for economic empowerment through GI-tagging, which can boost sustainable trade, create livelihoods, and conserve biodiversity,” said Ghosh.