Indigenous Knowledge of Tribes on Forest Management: A Case Study in Drought Prone District of Andhra Pradesh

Indigenous knowledge is a belief, a part of tradition, and an important part of the lives of the poor. It is formed due to close propinquity of the aboriginal communities to natural resources along with generations of experience in natural resource and management. This paper is an attempt to broaden the list of traditional practices available at the local level, and to strengthen such views in forestry management science. This knowledge could be an extremely useful tool not only in involving them in forest management and development programmes, but improving their general economic condition and ensuring the long-term sustainability of forest management in the area. The paper proceeds to suggest the ways and means to incorporate their knowledge in the current forest management strategies.