Community Structure, Biodiversity Value and Management Practices of Traditional Agroforestry Systems in Tripura, North East India

Community Structure, Biodiversity Value and Management Practices of Traditional Agroforestry Systems in Tripura, North East India

The present communication deals with traditional agroforestry systems practiced by the rural people of Tripura, North East India. The study was carried out in five villages of South Tripura district. It reveals that traditional agroforestry systems are diverse with a great deal of socially valuable plant species. The local inhabitants maintained multistrata agroforestry system with intimate mixture of diversified agricultural crops and multipurpose tree species to fulfil most of their basic needs. The total number of woody and herbaceous species recorded in the agroforestry system was 44 and 49 respectively. Among the woody plants A. procera shows the highest importance value index (IVI) in the agroforestry land. But in contrast I. cylindrica shows the highest relative importance value among the herbaceous flora. Documented plants from the traditional agroforestry system provide the community day to day needs of food, timber as well as ethnomedicinal purposes. The present study provides baseline information about the traditional aspects of agroforestry system. The multi-storied composition, high species diversity and domestication of native wild plants in the system may help to conserve biodiversity of the region.