Resource Availability and Utilization – A Perspective on the Monpa Tribe of Dirang Circle, Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

In the common parlance plausibly, everything available in the environment which can be used to satisfy our needs in various context and is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable is called a resource. In other words, A resource can be described as something that humans deem as useful in life and therefore has a purpose. Prosperity of any nation or region depends on the availability and utilization of different quality and quantity of resources. Interestingly, while Globalization has exerted substantial impact by opening up potential drivers, and creating images of outcomes of resource wealth effects and development on one hand, one cannot overlook the broad debate on deciding whether it is fair to characterize natural resource as a wealth or as a curse on the other. This is because in the present scenario of climate change, food shortage and hunger, most of the evidence derived from the cross-country analyses, provides indication of a looming threat of not only a disbalanced ecological system but also wide social impact. Such impacts are circuitously felt by the local groups who face the threat of reduced sustainability of ecosystems and their vital services both in the physical and socio-economic context. The myriad social consequences of resource use are related to issues such as the distribution of raw materials, access to clean water, food security, labour and economic outcome. Such effects are more intricately felt among those groups who are dependent upon the natural resource for their survival for generations. Arunachal Pradesh stands out as an example where the dominant tribal population continue to depend upon the surrounding forest resource for their day-to-day survival, making it the most important local resources. Off late however there seems to be a shift in the situation due to inroads of modern development, and the impacts are being felt as social paradox. Within this back ground the paper is an attempt to understand the locally available resources, its utilisation and the resultant impact and issues emerging thereof.