TREES OUTSIDE FOREST OF MANIPUR, NORTH EASTERN INDIA

Abstract

Trees Outside Forests (TOF) are essential for maintaining the ecological balance, increasing biodiversity, and providing both economic and environmental benefits. The objective of this study is to analyze the distribution, composition, and ecology of TOF in Manipur across different land-use types, including urban built-up areas, institutional lands, cultivated agricultural land, roadside plantations, and home gardens. The data demonstrated that institutional land possessed the highest proportion of TOF (30%), followed by agricultural land (25%) and urban residential areas (22%). The study showed that TOF maintain important ecosystem benefits such as carbon sequestration, enhancing soil fertility, and regulating climate, while also identifying the current pressures posed by urban encroachment, land-use change, and deforestation. This research emphasizes the need for policy, community involvement, and sustainability in agroforestry systems to protect and expand TOF. Policies should be strengthened, and programs developed to raise awareness of the ecological and socio-economic benefits resulted from TOF.