Ms. Alka Shiva, holder of Master Degree in Sociology (1982), obtained Diploma in Social Forestry from Forest Research Institute and Colleges Dehra Dun in 1984. While serving in COMFORPTS she was sponsored by the Ford Foundation for a course on "Marketing of Non Timber Tree and Forest Products" from Regional Community Forestry Training Centre (RECOFTC), Kasetsart University, Bangkok (Thailand) in 1994. She worked at Centre of Minor Forest Products (COMFORPTS) for Rural Development and Environmental Conservation since 1992 as Social Forestry Officer and as President and Managing Director since 1998. She has been carrying out Community Development Works at COMFORPTS. Ms. Shiva is now contributing a series on "Methods of Sustainable Harvesting and Value Addition for Economic Uplift and Biodiversity Conservation" in MFP News Being published since 1990 of which she is the Managing Editor. She is an active member of South and East Asian Countries NTFP Network (SEANN). She has published 35 scientific papers and two books, viz., "Medicinal Plants: First Aid Remedies, their Sources and Method of Uses" and Annotated Bibliography of Non Timber Forest Products related articles compiled from The Indian Forester from 1875-1999.