Abstract
Previous research on community forestry in Thailand has mainly focused on its institutional dimensions. Comprehensive knowledge on the production of non-timber forest products and on harvesting practices and decision-making processes is therefore still limited, particularly in relation to community-based forestry. A survey was performed to estimate the production of non-timber forest products and to characterise the diversity of harvesting practices and decision-making processes in northern Thailand’s community forests. Field investigations were conducted once a month for 12 months in seven community forests in the Lainan sub-district in Nan Province, using a grid-based sampling technique. Production and productivity of the main non-timber forest products were calculated by total fresh weight. In-depth interviews were conducted individually with 231 local harvesters to understand their NTFP harvesting practices and decision-making processes. Young shoots of Melientha suavis, queen broods of Oecophylla smaragdina and edible mushrooms were found to be the three main non-timber forest products collected, with productivity of 2, 12, and 2 kg/ha/year, respectively. Harvesting practices were characterised as applied by (A) landless villagers, (B) small- and medium-sized landholders, (C) larger landholders, and (D) outsiders. Local harvesters displayed different decision-making processes in resource harvesting depending on periods of resource availability, the duration of harvests and the quantities harvested. These quantitative data on resource productivity together with knowledge of harvesting practices and decision-making processes among harvesters will provide input to a participatory resource management process to support exchanges of knowledge among local stakeholders and explore scenarios for appropriate rules of access so as to improve the sustainability of non-timber forest product harvesting.
Highlights
41 Volume 343 – 1er trimestre – janvier 2020 – p. 39-52Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) encompass all biological materials except for timber that are found in a forest (Delang, 2006)
Melientha suavis Pierre, Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius, and edible mushrooms were the three major non-timber forest products (NTFPs) gathered by Lainan people and their characteristics are as follows: b M. suavis is a deciduous tree belonging to the Opiliaceae family and is commonly found in the mixed deciduous and dry dipterocarp forests of Thailand (Prathepha, 2000; Julapak et al, 2016)
This study clearly showed that the productivity of M. suavis in the upper community forests was higher than the productivity in the lower and middle community forests
Summary
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) encompass all biological materials except for timber that are found in a forest (Delang, 2006). They play an important role in local livelihoods as food, raw materials, traditional medicines, and ornaments for over two billion people all over the world (Sellato, 2002; Boissière et al, 2013; Mukul et al, 2016). CFM plays important roles in maintaining wildlife populations, producing NTFPs and supporting the lives of local communities, resource-poor landholders (Mortimer et al, 2012) who are often highly dependent on NTFPs for their economic survival (Barnaud et al, 2008). Because small-scale family farms have low levels of financial and physical capital, they supplement their income through off-farm activities, including harvesting NTFPs (Robinson and Lokina, 2011)
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