Table Of Content

EDIBLE BIO-RESOURCES & LIVELIHOODS Dr. Puspa Komor Dr. Oinam Sunanda Devi Assam State Biodiversity Board When the last Tree cut down, The last Fish eaten, And the last Stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money. –An old native American saying EDIBLE BIO-RESOURCES & LIVELIHOODS Dr. Puspa Komor Dr. Oinam Sunanda Devi Assam State Biodiversity Board Guwahati EDIBLE BIO-RESOURCES & LIVELIHOODS EDIBLE BIO-RESOURCES & LIVELIHOODS Published by: Assam State Biodiversity Board 2nd Floor, Aranya Bhawan Panjabari, Guwahati -781037 Copyright: © 2016 Assam State Biodiversity Board Photographs: All photographs by authors except few which are duly credited in the photo plates Design & Layout: Printing & Binding: Price: ` 450 ISBN: 978-81-932243-1-1 Smt. Pramila Rani Brahma, Minister, Environment & Forests, Soil Conservation, Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Class, Mines and Minerals- Assam MESSAGE I am indeed very happy that Assam State Biodiversity Board is making constant endeavours to document the richness of biological diversity and associated traditional uses in Assam. The understanding of peoples' associations of with their local biological resources for livelihoods is the first step in planning for sustainable management of these resources. This book, therefore, is a welcome step for enhancing our understanding of biological resources on one hand and securing traditional knowledge of people on the other. I congratulate the authors of this book 'Edible Bio-Resources and Livelihoods' and hope that the Board will continue with such works. (Pramila Rani Brahma) I Shri V. K. Pipersenia, IAS Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam & Chairman- Assam State Biodiversity Board MESSAGE In our country, there have been strong traditional knowledge systems for curing common ailments through locally available plants. Specially in villages the routine food used to be a prophylactic mix of locally available herbs and shrubs. Thus, people in rural areas had healthier lives than their urban counterparts. Assam which is a biodiversity hotspot with predominance of indigenous population presents an ideal canvas for understanding this innate relationship of local people with their surrounding floral and faunal diversity. The present study throws light on some of the common edible species that are generally collected from wild and provide sustenance to local rural population in select districts of Assam. The Book also provides information on nutritive and medicinal values of some such edible species. I hope the book will be useful to common people and encourage them to look towards these wild bio-resources with the much deserved respect. (V. K. Pipersenia) III Sri A. K. Johari, IFS Addl. PCCF (Biodiversity & Climate Change) Member Secretary- Assam State Biodiversity Board FOREWORD Sometimes I wonder what Mr. Tarzan or Master Mogli ate the whole day in jungles. I also wonder how an urban citizen would fend for herself or himself if left in the deep forests for a week with no packed food or chocolates. In such situations, a little knowledge of unconventional edible plants may come very handy. Of the millions of plant species that exist on Earth, we depend on very few for our nutritional needs. In fact, 90% of food requirements are met by less than 10 species. What if these 10 species were taken away !! People in the past had knowledge of their surrounding wealth, the plants and animals and knew how to live with them in a mutually beneficial way. With urbanization and changing food habits and ever increasing demands for a few select species the whole situation has changed. We are not only losing diversity of plants and animals but also the associated traditional knowledge. This, for me is the bigger threat then climate change scare. The present study is a small endeavour to enhance our understanding of some non-conventional edible bio-resources used by the tribal and rural populations in select parts of Assam. The information on their occurrence, nutritional value, medicinal properties would help us appreciate the beauty of V EDIBLE BIO-RESOURCES & LIVELIHOODS Nature's Menu Card- providing not just the variety but also security against eventualities, such as species loss. I hope the contents of this book will be useful for the readers. (A. K. Johari) VI