The role of non-timber forest products to communities living in the Northern periphery of the Korup National Park

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) extraction and trade is considered an income generating activity for subsistence livelihood in rural forest communities in Cameroon. This paper is to ascertain whether Non-timber forest products exploitation and commercialization is economically profitable to livelihood or just a customary activity promoted by economic hardship. Surveys involving 184 households, parcel inventories, interviews and reviews were used revealing that Non-timber forest products exploitation and farming occupy 90.8% and 80.4% respectively of the total work force. Agricultural contribute 66% against 31% for Non-timber forest products to the local economy. Policy changes like the institutionalization of community forest and decentralizations in 1997 and the transfer of authoritative regulation to peripheral actors in the mid-1990s permitted local benefit from Non-timber forest products resources. http://dx.doi.org/10.17127/got/2013.4.009 Data de submissão: 2013-09-19 Data de aprovação: 2013-12-06 Data de publicação: 2013-12-30