EXTRACTION OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS IN THE FORESTS OF BILIGIRI RANGAN HILLS, INDIA .2. IMPACT OF NTFP EXTRACTION ON REGENERATION, POPULATION-STRUCTURE, AND SPECIES COMPOSITION

Sustainable extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) has recen tly gained considerable attention as a means to enhance rural incomes and conserve tropical forests. However, there is little information on the amounts of products collected per unit area and the impact of ext raction on forest structure and composition. In this paper we estimate the quantities of selected products gathered by the Soligas, the indi genous people in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) sanctuary in Kar nataka, India, and examine the effect of extraction on forest structur e and composition. Two sires, distant (DS) and proximal (PS), were ide ntified based on the proximity to a Soliga settlement. The frequency o f different size classes indicates that regeneration overall is poor i n the area. The two sites show differences in species richness, basal area, and tree mortality. Furthermore, non-timber Sorest product speci es show a greater deficit of small size classes than the timber forest species, suggesting that regeneration is affected by collection of se eds and fruits from non-timber forest product species. Regeneration, h owever; may also be affected by other anthropogenic pressures such as fire, grazing and competition with weeds.