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.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bates P, Chiba M, Kube S, Nakashima D (2018) Learning & knowing in indigenous societies today. UNESCO
Bhatt A, Rana D, Uniyal SK, Kumar A, Lal B (2018) Biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and cultural aspects of the native people of the Pangi valley, Chamba district. In: H.P. Proceedings of International Biodiversity Congress, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, vol 4, pp 1–6
Dorji Y (2012) Women’s role in wild yam, conservation, management and use in Bhutan. In: Verma R (ed) Khadka M. Gender and Biodiversity management in the Greater Himalayas, ICIMOD, pp 27–51
Dutt B, Nath D, Chauhan NS, Sharma KR, Sharma SS (2014) Ethno-medicinal plant resources of Tribal Pangi Valley in District Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. India. IJBSM 5(3):416–421
Kala M, Sharma A (2010) Traditional Indian beliefs: a key toward sustainable living. Environmentalist 30(1):85–89
Kehoe M (2014) Ethnographic explorations of the foodways of three generations of women in Kasabonika Lake First Nation. Masters Thesis
Lal B, Rana D, Bhatt A (2019) Natural resource use pattern for self-sustenance by the natives of Tissa region of Himachal Pradesh in Western Himalaya, India. Ethnobotany 2:132–152
Langton M, Ma Rhea Z, Sykes H (2009) Indigenous education and the ladder to prosperity. Perspectives:95–119
Magni G (2017) Indigenous knowledge and implications for the sustainable development agenda. Eur J Educ 52(4):437–447
Navarro LM, Fernández N, Guerra C, Guralnick R, Kissling WD, Londoño MC, Muller-Karger F, Turak E, Balvanera P, Costello MJ, Delavaud A (2017) Monitoring biodiversity change through effective global coordination. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 29:158–169
Negi VS, Maikhuri RK, Maletha A, Phondani PC (2019) Ethnobotanical knowledge and population density of threatened medicinal plants of Nanda Devi biosphere reserve, Western Himalaya, India. Iran J Sci Technol Trans A Sci 43(1):63–73
Negi CS (2010) Traditional culture and biodiversity conservation: examples from Uttarakhand. Central Himalaya. MRD 30(3):259–265
Rana D, Bhatt A, Lal B (2019) Ethnobotanical knowledge among the semi-pastoral Gujjar tribe in the high altitude (Adhwari’s) of Churah subdivision, district Chamba. Western Himalaya. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 15(1):1–21
Rana D, Bhatt A, Lal B, Parkash O, Kumar A, Uniyal SK (2021) Use of medicinal plants for treating different ailments by the indigenous people of Churah subdivision of district Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. India Environ Dev Sustain 23(2):1162–1241
Rao KS, Semwal RL, Maikhuri RK, Nautiyal S, Sen KK, Singh K, Chandrasekhar K, Saxena KG (2003) Indigenous ecological knowledge, biodiversity and sustainable development in the central Himalayas. Trop Eco 44(1):93–111
Samant SS, Dhar U, Palni LM (1998) Medicinal Plants of Indian Himalaya. Gyanodaya Prakashan, Nainital
Samant SS, Dhar U, Rawal RS (2001) Diversity and distribution of wild edible plants of Indian Himalaya, In: Pandey PC, Samant SS (eds) Plant diversity of the Himalaya, Gyanodaya Prakashan, Nainital, pp 421–482.
Samant SS, Sekar KC, Arya SC (2013) Wild Edible plants. In: Rawal RS, Bhatt ID, Sekar KC, Nandi SK (eds) The Himalayan biodiversity: richness, representativeness, uniqueness and life support values. Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttarakhand, India, pp 53–55
UNESCO (2016) Education for people and planet: creating sustainable futures for all. Global education monitoring report. UNESCO, Paris
Vidyarthi S, Samant SS, Sharma P (2013) Traditional and indigenous uses of medicinal plants by local residents in Himachal Pradesh, North Western Himalaya, India. Int J Biodivers Sci Ecosyst Serv Manag 9(3):185–200
World Health Organization (2008) Traditional medicine. Fact Sheet N134, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
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.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
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
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16840-6_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-16839-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-16840-6
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)