Abstract:

Sustainable utilization of bioresources is a global concern, as it plays a vital part in the economic upliftment and overall socioeconomic development of a region. Western scientific approaches related to natural resource management (NRM) mainly focus on economic benefits, showing less concern toward sustainable and longterm natural resource usage. On the contrary, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), or adaptive empirical knowledge system, is the source of knowledge about ecosystems, species, a practice held by the indigenous community whose way of life intimately relates to natural resources. Considered as a biodiversity hotspot of the world, the North East (NE) part of India is mainly inhabited by different indigenous communities. These indigenous communities mostly believe in animistic religious systems that influence their way of living, natural resources, and conservation practices.