Livelihood and Revenue: Role of rattans among Mongoloid tribes and settlers of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Research Abstract The Andaman and Nicobar islands, located in the Anda- man Sea between peninsular India and Indo-Malaya, are part of two of the 34 mega-diversity hotspots of the world. These islands are characterized by their vegetation types such as littoral, mangroves, wet and semi-evergreen for- ests, and rainforests, and for being the home for six ab- original tribes of Negrito and Mongoloid descent. The is- lands are also home to a number of migrants and "set- tlers" from the Indian mainland and Myanmar. The aborigi- nal tribes and the settlers have a long history of associa- tion with the island's bioresources. We surveyed the eth- nic uses of rattans, the unique climbing palms, about 63% of which are endemic to these islands. Our ethnobotanical survey revealed several uses of rattans by the Nicobarese and Shompens, the two major ethnic communities of the Nicobar Islands. We also estimated the revenue gener- ated among those involved in the rattan trade (collectors, processors, and exporters).