Simlipal Biosphere Reserve Ho Tribal Ecology Mayurbhanj Odisha

Simlipal Biosphere Reserve in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, one of the largest biosphere reserves in India at 5,569 square kilometers, protects sal and bamboo forest on the Chota Nagpur plateau edge that is the homeland of the Ho and Santali tribal communities, who have maintained intricate ecological relationships with the forest including controlled burning for forest regeneration, sacred grove (jaher) maintenance, and seasonal gathering of over three hundred forest products. Simlipal's tiger population and its melanistic (black) tigers, documented in camera trap surveys, make it globally notable for this rare genetic variant. The biosphere hosts fourteen waterfalls including Joranda and Barehipani, India's second highest waterfall at 400 meters. The Ho tribe's forest product knowledge includes sal leaf plate weaving (pattal) from Shorea robusta, mahua flower collection and fermentation for country liquor, and kendu leaf harvesting for bidi tobacco wrapping, all of which form non-timber forest product economies with direct livelihood value. Simlipal's biodiversity was threatened by elephant poaching and ivory trade in the 1980s-90s and by severe fire events linked to dry season burning, and the biosphere's management integrates tribal community knowledge with formal conservation planning.