Looking byond timber: An aprisal of non-timber forest resources of puruliya district of West Bengal with special emphasis on their relevance in rural livelihood

Forest is considered as a storehouse of immense valuable materials and services. Yet, timber overshadows all other forest resources in people’s mind perhaps due to its wide acceptance in economic field. Resources like fruits, barks, tuber, honey, leaf, fodder, feather, skin and particularly the medicine supplied by the forests can generate huge revenue if marketed properly. Nonetheless, these lesser forest resources have a great impact in the livelihood of the rural people living in the vicinity of the forest land. Present paper deals with the impact of non-timber forest products on the livelihood of the forest dwellers of Puruliya district, the eastern extension of the old plateau of Chhotonagpur that comes under the administrative set up of the state of West Bengal in India.