The Fibers of Indigenous Communities Living in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Forests contain everything a living being might possibly need: food, forage, medicine, timber, and fiber. In terms of their value to human society, fiber-producing plants have been ranked second only to food plants. The current study focuses on the natural fibers utilized by the communities residing in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve area. Field surveys and ethnobotanical data collecting using the open-ended, structured, and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) technique are the primary sources of the data. The study identified 22 plant species of 21 genera belonging to 7 different families. Most of the plants belonged to family Poaceae (36%) and stem (32%), leaves (27%) and stem bark (23%) are main source of fiber. The study area is rich in biodiversity and inhabited by many ethnic and subethnic communities with good traditional knowledge on fibres and the extraction processes. The purpose of the study is to promote awareness and explore the possible commercial application of the natural fibre yielding plants.