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Natural resource management decisions can be based on incomplete knowledge when they lack scientific research, monitoring and assessment and/or simultaneously fail to draw on local ecological knowledge
. Many community-based forestry organisations in the United States attempt to address these knowledge gaps with an integrated ecological stewardship approach that balances ecological, social and economic goals. This paper examines the use and integration of local knowledge and conventional science in ecological stewardship and monitoring by seven community-based forestry demonstration projects. Through document reviews and interviews with both participants and partners of all of these community based organisations, it was found that all the community-based forestry groups incorporated local ecological knowledge into many aspects of their management or monitoring activities, such as collaboratively designing monitoring programmes with local ranchers, forest workers and residents; involving local people in collecting data and interpreting results; and documenting the local ecological knowledge of private forest landowners, long-time residents and harvesters of non-timber forest products. It was found that all the groups also used conventional science to design or conduct ecological assessments, monitoring, or research. It was also found that there was evidence, in the form of changes in attitudes on the part of local people and conventional scientists and jointly produced reports, that the two types of knowledge were integrated by all groups. These findings imply that community-based forestry groups are redistributing the power of conventional science through the use of diverse knowledge sources. Still, several obstacles prevented some local, traditionally underrepresented groups from being significantly involved in monitoring and management decisions and their knowledge has not yet been consistently incorporated
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The economic value of rain forests has been discussed controversially over the last 20 years
. While some authors have praised the often unutilised richness of resources, others have been less optimistic and referred to the limited market potential.
On the other hand, the invisible use of forests is often underestimated. In many cases, subsistence needs can be met well, securing people’s livelihoods, while risk and uncertainty often are mitigated through resource diversification.
This principle was also found to be vital for securing livelihoods among Dayak Benuaq forest users in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Depending on resource availability, market prices, seasonality, or individual cash demand, the Benuaq frequently switch from one resource to another. This includes high intensity short-term resource extraction, e.g. of freshwater tortoises or certain bird species to utilize temporary income opportunities. In addition, the Benuaq use alternative income opportunities offered at logging companies or oil-palm plantations. Combined with additional swidden agriculture this extended subsistence has proven to be a reliable livelihood mode to maintain decent human well-being as well as a diverse forest environment.
This long-term community study reveals a highly dynamic pattern. The principal income sources vary from year to year. So does the importance of the supplementing subsistence agriculture. The forest system is sustainably managed through enrichment planting and cultivation of selected species. With this approach the villagers have established a highly diversified mosaic forest comprising more than 1,000 forest gardens and maintaining high biodiversity. At the same time, people are able to respond to external shocks, such as price fluctuations or natural disasters to avoid falling into poverty.
While there is strong evidence that the Benuaq’s forests have been used in a sustainable manner over the last 300 years, better market access, good income opportunities, but also official development goals have put the system under pressure. theless, the Benuaq’s extended subsistence could work as a model for securing livelihoods, ensuring well-being, and maintaining vital forest functions given some preconditions are met, including secure tenure and access to resources, sufficient social cohesion, and functioning markets for their forest products
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Jumla is highly rich in its vast and valuable Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) including different kinds of valuable medicinal and aromatic plants
. However, in recent years, a significant decrease in availability of commercially traded NTFP species has been experienced. Nevertheless, some important initiatives have also been started to manage NTFPs in a sustainable basis. Community Forestry (CF) is one of these. This study aims to suggest practical and sustainable NTFPs management approach in Jumla analysing existing roles in livelihood strategy. Study covers CFUGs in Eastern part of the district comprising about 70% CF area and contributes more than 60% of exported NTFPs. PRA and RRA tools were used for data collection in the field. NTFPs were found an integral part of the livelihood strategy in the district. More than 90% food deficit people (57%) were having income from NTFPs as a second source of food arrangement to sustain their livelihood. The average annual income from NTFPs per HH was 18,565. No significant correlation was observed between different social groups and income from NTFPs. But, male were found mostly involved in NTFPs collection comparing female. Beside some promising efforts towards control harvesting of NTFPs, no significant impact of CF was observed. Awareness level of the users and governance aspect of CFUGs were found very poor. There was huge gap between management objectives and management prescriptions of most of the community forests
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Paper presented at the International Conference on Role of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Poverty Alleviation and Biodiversity Conservation, 11-15 June 2007, Hanoi, Vietnam
.
The Conference brought together practitioners, entrepreneurs and researchers who are involved in NTFP initiatives that provide opportunities to address poverty reduction while maintaining biodiversity. Participants shared methodologies; approaches, product and market information and other lessons learned from NTFP development and conservation initiatives. A local trade fair was organized on the third day of the conference to provide an opportunity for NTFP producers to display their products and meet potential buyers.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has experienced that subsistence agriculture is increasingly becoming unsustainable both economically and environmentally. But niche products can serve as a basis for diversifying incomes of mountain communities. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have been identified by various agencies as one of the sub-sectors with potentials to generate additional local income and employment opportunities through participatory approaches in the remote mountain regions
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Valentin, C.; Agus, F.; Alamban, R.; Boosaner, A.; Chaplot, V.; Guzman, T. d.; Rouw, A. d.; Janeau, J. L.; Maglinao, A.; Orange, D.; Phachomphonh, K.; Do, P.; Podwojewski, P.; Ribolzi, O.; Bricquet, J. P.
The presentation describes the impact of innovative land management practices on the annual runoff and soil losses in a number of areas in south east Asia
.
Pressures such as increased population, government policies and market forces are impacting vegetation, biodiversity, water and soils. Management practices such as conservation of forests, use of non-wood forest products, agroforestry systems, terracing and conservation agriculture are examined
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Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have been widely promoted as a potential solution to high rates of tropical deforestation, by increasing the value of forest resources to local people
. The content of this book is based around findings from a DFID/FRP funded international research project that has examined why commercialisation of NTFPs does not consistently contribute to poverty alleviation, gender equality and sustainable resource management.
It documents:
- The current research context;
- The authors' multi disciplinary methodological approach to collecting, analysing and integrating different data types to achieve comparative analysis of 17 different NTFP case studies (in Mexico and Bolivia), based around a framework of six hypotheses and 40 research questions;
- Their conclusions as to what factors influence the success and failure of NTFP commercialisation;
- Their policy recommendations.
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Human wellbeing relies on our ability to exploit our diverse and often fragile natural environment sustainably and into the far distant future
. If there is no such thing as environmentally neutral economic growth, there is certainly an increasing number of options for sustainable human and social development. Such new approaches are essential to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have been a particular focus of development interest in recent years. The hope is that forest-dependent people can gain new income-generating opportunities with minimal environmental costs. Fruit, basketry, honey and medicinal plants are just a few examples of economically and socially valuable products that can be produced from a sustainably managed natural resource base
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Rice is produced almost exclusively in fallow rotation (“shifting cultivation”) systems, but increasing population and land use restrictions are causing decreasing fallow periods, decreasing yields (from weed pressure, declining soil fertility), with a result in decreasing returns to labour, i
.e. a poverty trap. The Lao government policy aims to eradicate shifting cultivation by 2010 and to develop permanent cropping on fixed fields and diversified production systems.
Rice is (and will likely remain) the staple crop of upland people in Laos. However, rice insufficiency is a serious problem for many upland households in northern Laos. It is difficult for village people to consider new livelihoods when food is not secure (adding risk to instability), but incremental (transitional) changes are more likely to succeed. Currently, people cope with rice insufficiency by selling livestock (“piggy banks”) to buy rice and by harvesting forest foods (especially roots and tubers for starch and calories).
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Kalash Valley is located in the remote south western part of District Chitral
. The area is gifted with unique cultural and biological diversity. The natural forest of the area mainly consists of pine (Pinus wallichiana), chlghoza (Pinus gerardiana), deodar (Cedrus deodara) and broad leaf species like oak (Quercus incana). The term non-timber forest produce encompasses all biological material other then timber that are extracted from the forest for human welfare. Some of the important NTFPs in Kalash Valley Bomburet are wild mushrooms (Morchella esculenta, M. Vulgaris, M. deliciosa), honey (Apis cerana), medicinal plants (Ferula nartex Paeonia emodi, Inula recemosa ) pine nuts (Pinus gerardiana), silk cocoons and others valuable products. The people of this remote area rely on their indigenous knowledge for collection, packing and drying of these forest products. Most of the local people are dependent on these products for income generation. The present study aims to expose the situation of non-timber forest produce and future guidelines for proper planning and management
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This article addresses the question, to what extent and under which conditions non timber forest product (NTFP) trade leads to both livelihood improvement and forest conservation
. The authors based the analysis on a standardised expert-judgment assessment of the livelihood and environmental outcomes of 55 cases of NTFP trade from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The results show that NTFP trade benefits several components of peoples' livelihoods, but may increase inequality between households. Involvement of women in the production-to-consumption system (PCS) tends to have a positive impact on intrahousehold equity. In 80% of the cases, the commercial production of NTFPs does not enable people to make financial investments to increase quality and quantity of production, limiting the potential for development. In their set of cases, commercial extraction from the wild, without further management, tends to lead to resource depletion. NTFP production systems are generally considered to have lower environmental values than natural forest, but do contribute positively to the environmental values in the landscape. The authors found that higher livelihood outcomes are associated with lower environmental outcomes and conclude that NTFP trade is not likely to reconcile development and conservation of natural forest
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