Conservation and Sustainable Management of Traditional

Abstract: Forest and agricultural biodiversity play an important role in sustaining livelihood of local people in marginal land in Central Himalayan village ecosystems. These village communities have their own rules and regulations for conservation and management of agroecosystems as well as surrounding forest ecosystems. To assess the pattern of change in conservation and sustainable management of traditional agroecosystems, a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) was conducted and information collected from farmers. In the Study area traditional food crops and multipurpose agroforestry trees were replaced by cash crops during the recent past, due to the changes in the economic and political issues. These village ecosystems have become either degraded or less fertile ecosystems. The study focuses on the issues of conservation and sustainable development. [New York Science Journal