ETHNOBOTANY OF SANTAL PARGANA

In the present era with the need for development, there has been great stress on natural resources. The economy of Santal Pargana is closely tied to its natural resources base and climate sensitive sectors like forestry, agriculture, water and health. We became interested in writing a book on Ethnobotany, while studying the role of forests and forestry in the life of people. The various sub disciplines of Ethnobotany eg. Ethnoforestry, Ethnotaxonomy, Ethnoecology, Ethno Silviculture and Ethnomedicine etc. reflect profound and intimate relationships between human beings and plants. The present book is an attempt to provide relevant information (first hand data) on Ethnobotany documented from various knowledgeable ethnic people of the study area. Wide range of source materials and studies in various chapters give glimpses of a cross- sectional picture of interactions between man and plants and also focus on the concept, methodology and future direction of Ethnobotanical study. Ethnobotanical studies contribute to cataloguing of biological diversity, which helps in taking decisions for conservation of endangered species.