The Life of Hunting and Gathering Tribes in the Eastern Ghats

The present study has been conducted among the Chenchu, one of the most primitive hunting and gathering tribes in India, dwelling in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, with a view : (a) to understand the critical features of the physical environment, distribution and seasonal availability of the floral, faunal and water resources, constraits, (b) to understand the knowledge and various uses of the forest produce, the extent of dependence and conservation practices, (c) to estimate the flow of the biomass at Chenchu household level, (d) and the comparison in the usage of biomass between the Chenchu households, and the rural agro-households, (e) to estimate the monitory value of the forest resources used by the Chenchus, (f) to understand the cultural perceptions and traditional knowledge of the Chenchus regarding the world view, forest, living and non-living organisms, (g) and the institutional arrangement in terms of rules and regulations concerning the conservation and utilization of forest resources, property rights, social organization, the territorial rights, the user rights on certain resources in order to prevent the over-exploitation of the resources, (h) and coping mechanisms to the physical constraints. This book is expected to be highly useful to academicians, scholars, post graduate students, policy makers, bureaucrats, NGOs, voluntary organizations and social activists.