Commercialization of Natural Resources for Sustainable Livelihoods: the case of forest products

Mountain communities in South Asia, especially those who live in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, are characterised as marginalised communities in terms of theiraccess to capital, technology, and decision-making authority; fragile in terms of thehealth of the ecosystems they live in; and vulnerable in terms of their overwhelmingdependence on natural resources. The region is facing greater and more difficultchallenges than ever before in achieving balanced economic growth, alleviatingpoverty, and sustainably managing their renewable natural resources. People’sdependence on forest and related natural resources is historic, cultural, and inevitableas other viable alternatives for earning a living have been few and far between. Asthe economies of the predominantly mountainous countries in the region are graduallyliberalised and a wave of consumerism is setting in, the income needs of the peoplehave been steadily growing. The consequence of this trend has been thecommercialisation of forest products, mainly non-timber forest products (NTFPs).Among the NTFPs, the preference for a particular commodity is generally guided bythe prevailing market forces, and these are of both a traditional and economic nature