The demands of traditional Asian medicine (TAM) don't just pose a threat to the survival of tigers and rhinos (Nature 480, S101–S103; 2011). Numerous smaller species are also at risk, as a result of being traded in large volumes. (Correspondence)

This article studies the development of the Non-Pesticidal Management Project (NPM) that emerged in the late 1980s in Andhra Pradesh's Warangal district of the semi-arid region Telengana as a response to accumulating agrarian distress, when chemical pesticides did not help to counter massive pest infestations.

In Sri Lanka, organic farmers draw inspiration from endemic practices such as home gardens or analog forestry, and have also adapted ‘imported’ ideas, such as zero-budget farming from India.

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The paper presents four plants used as an agricultural season indicator by Mao Naga tribe of Manipur, India. Agriculture is the main occupation of the tribe and they have a unique way of knowing plantation season for different crops by observing the flowering of some plants. The indicator plants are peach (Prunus persica), wild cherry (P. carmesina), camel foot (Bauhinia purpurea) and dancing girl (Mantisia spathulata). The information on plants used as season indicators may help understanding the global warming and climate change in recent years.

Traditional ecological knowledge has been established to have a bearing on natural resource management by the indigenous communities living in biodiversity rich North eastern hill region. The present study correlates the indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge in assessing the nutrient availability status of the agricultural soil as practiced by the ‘Nyishi’ tribes who use visual properties such as colour, texture and topographic positioning of land/terrain.

The impacts of tobacco cultivation on traditional agro-practices and knowledge, food security, agro-biodiversity and socio-economic conditions of a remote hilly tribal community of Bangladesh were investigated. Sixty per cent households were found practicing shifting cultivation compared with 10 yrs back changing local food availability. Local crop varieties were being lost due to low cultivation and weak seed preservation system. Despite better benefits from traditional cultivation, 90% people now fully depended upon tobacco cultivation for significant cash flow at a time.

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is situated in the Southeast of Bangladesh covering about 10 per cent of the total land. It is the native hoe of 13 tribal communities and these communities have their own traditional knowledge for natural resource managements. This paper provides 8 traditional knowledge namely, folk classification of landform, land use zoning, community reserve for common resource management, fuel wood selection for domestic use, water harvesting ditches, tree management in the jhum field by the Murang community, coppice management of Gmelina arborea Roxb.

Though small in size, Nepal is rich in biocultural diversity. Magar is one of the groups of ancient population among many such groups scattered all along the rugged terrain of the country. Magar animal interrelationship has been studied in the present work. Data have been collected using tools such as questionnaire survey, structured interview, semi-structured interview and participatory approaches. The group is found to have rich knowledge mainly on Zootherapeutic uses of animals. Altogether 39 species of animals have been identified which of various uses to the group.

The present study comprises of field trips in different rural localities of Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts of Kerala. Information regarding the occurrence of plant species, their local names, parts ued, formulations and vegetable preparations through interviews and discussions held with elderly persons of rural communities were recorded. The plant specimens were identified and herbarium sheets prepared for all the species. From the information documented and also from literature data, 9 vegetable plants having high nutrient value were selected.