Harvesting Of Non-timber Forest Products Research Articles

Economic implications of declaration of Knuckles conservation zone

The objective of this study is to assess the economic impacts of Knuckles Conservation Zone (KCZ)on the livelihoods of peripheral households and vise versa the impact of the utilization offorest resourcesby households on the sustainabi lity of the forest after the conservation zone declaration. A detailedpopulation survey, observations, participatory methods and discussions were conducted to gatherinformation as part of an EU funded IUCN project on forestry governance. Around 57% of thehouseholds arc poor. Following the declaration, there has been a significant reduction in the number ofhouseholds harvesting non-timber forest products (NTFP) even for subsistence purposes. The shareof income derived through NTFP out oftotal household income is very minimal. Almost all householdshad been harvesting NTFPs earlier and now it has been reduced to 60% of households. Banning ofchena cultivation in the forest area, following the conservation zone has posed negative impacts onlivelihoods, as chena was one of the main income sources earlier. This natural resource has a higherpotential for ecotourism, as viewed by communities. It is necessary to compensate for the loss ofincome from chena and reduced access to subsistence products from the forest. The future policiesshould be formulated in a way that provides economic incentives to the peripheral communities, whichwill encourage them to use the forest in sustainable manner. This could include sharing the tourist fewwith the affected households. Each household would need to receive about Rs. 15,000 per year tocover the lost access rights to the forests.

Sustainability of non-timber forest products harvesting – cipó-preto roots (Philodendron corcovandense Kunth) in south Brazil

Interdisciplinary investigations on traditional harvesting systems of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are useful and vital to provide an accurate assessment that can support adequate planning and public policies related to harvesting and commercializing wild species. In tropical and sub-tropical regions, such knowledge is essential, because the use of natural resources is often a major source of income for many rural communities. In this paper, we assessed the ecological response of an NTFP producing plant – cipó-preto (roots of Philodendron corcovadense Kunth) – to harvesting by a local community in the south of Brazil. Our findings showed a strong impact of harvesting on root size as a consequence of excessive and long-term harvesting, which may trigger impacts on the population dynamics and on the biology of the plant. These findings also contradict local perceptions regarding the sustainability of their harvesting practices. This supports the development of new approaches combining better monitoring of the resource, adapted regulations, and efforts to domesticate the species.

Use of weeds as traditional vegetables in Shurugwi District, Zimbabwe

BackgroundMost agricultural weeds are usually regarded as undesirable and targeted for eradication. However, weeds are useful to human beings as food and traditional medicines. Few studies have been done to document the uses of weeds as traditional vegetables. This study was therefore, done to document indigenous knowledge related to the diversity and use of agricultural weeds as traditional vegetables in Shurugwi District, Zimbabwe, emphasizing their role in food security and livelihoods of the local people.Materials and methodsSemi-structured interviews, observation and guided field walks with 147 participants were employed between December 2011 and January 2012 to obtain ethnobotanical data on the use of edible weeds as traditional vegetables. Based on ethnobotanical information provided by the participants, botanical specimens were collected, numbered, pressed and dried for identification.ResultsA total of 21 edible weeds belonging to 11 families and 15 genera, mostly from Amaranthaceae (19%), Asteraceae and Tiliaceae (14.3%), Capparaceae, Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae (9.5% each) were identified. Of the documented edible weeds, 52.4% are indigenous while 47.6% are exotic to Zimbabwe; either semi-cultivated or growing naturally as agricultural weeds in farmlands, fallow land and home gardens. Among the main uses of edible weeds were leafy vegetables (81%), followed by edible fruits (19%), edible corms (9.5%), edible flowers and seeds (4.8% each). The most important edible weeds were Cleome gynandra, cited by 93.9% of the participants, Cucumis metuliferus (90.5%), Cucumis anguria (87.8%), Corchorus tridens (50.3%) and Amaranthus hybridus (39.5%). All edible weeds were available during rainy and harvest period with Cleome gynandra, Corchorus tridens, Cucumis anguria, Cucumis metuliferus and Moringa oleifera also available during the dry season, enabling households to obtain food outputs in different times of the year. The importance of edible weeds for local livelihoods was ubiquitously perceived, with all participants reporting their contribution towards food security and nutrition.ConclusionThe present study confirm findings from similar studies conducted elsewhere that rural households engage in harvesting of wild edible vegetables and other non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as a survival strategy. Based on their potential nutritional and medicinal value, edible weeds could contribute in a major way to food security, basic primary health care and balanced diets of rural households and possibly urban households as well.

A framework for considering ecological interactions for common non-timber forest product species: a case study of mountain date palm (Phoenix loureiroi Kunth) leaf harvest in South India

Many economically important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) come from widespread and common plant species. Harvest of these species often is assumed to be sustainable due to their commonness. However, because of the ecological roles of common species, harvest may affect and be affected by ecological interactions at broader scales, which are rarely considered when evaluating the sustainability of harvest. We use a case study of the mountain date palm (Phoenix loureiroi Kunth), harvested in South India to produce brooms, to present a conceptual framework illustrating how intensive harvest of a common species interacts with other anthropogenic management practices, plant-animal interactions and surrounding environmental conditions. We apply this framework to understanding the impacts of mountain date palm harvest in the southern Western Ghats regions of the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. We integrate data on the extent and levels of commercial harvest, local management practices, the ecological context in which harvest occurs, and research on harvest effects. We use this information to document the intensity and extent of mountain date palm harvest in the study area, identify the ecological implications of harvest, and demonstrate how a framework that considers harvest in the context of ecological communities and ecosystems is important for assessing the impacts of harvest of common NTFP species. We show that mountain date palm leaves are heavily harvested from natural areas in the southern Western Ghats but that harvest levels have declined in recent years. Mountain date palm management and harvest occur within a network of ecological interactions, linking human activities to population-, community-, and ecosystem-level processes. We demonstrate that understanding the effects of return interval of anthropogenic fire, herbivory by wild animals and livestock, as well as the light environment in which harvest occurs are critical to assessing the sustainability of mountain date palm harvest. By considering mountain date palm leaf harvest in the context of ecological interactions at multiple scales, our findings show that sustainability cannot be assessed only from a population-level perspective. This general framework highlights the need to incorporate ecosystem- and community-level properties and processes more frequently into assessments of the sustainability of NTFP harvest—especially for widespread and common species—to ensure that their important economic and ecological roles are maintained.

Impact of human activities on Cross River gorilla Gorilla gorilla diehli habitats in the Mawambi Hills, southwest Cameroon

Most forest habitats in Cameroon support villages whose inhabitants are heavily reliant on the forests for their everyday needs. We assessed the socio-economic status and natural resource use of 3 villages bordering Mawambi Hills, an unprotected forest in southwest Cameroon, home to both the Critically Endangered Cross River gorilla Gorilla gorilla diehli and the Endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee Pan troglodytes ellioti. This forest likely hosts one of the largest sub-populations of Cross River gorillas in Cameroon and is vulnerable to human influence given that it lies in close proximity to surrounding villages and is less hilly than other Cross River gorilla habitats. We show that employment opportunities in surrounding villages are rare, and people rely on agriculture and the collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), such as eru Gnetum spp. and bush mango Irvingia spp., for food and income. We also show that areas of heavy human activity coincide spatially with great ape nest sites and raise concerns about the potential impact of human activities on great ape survival at the site. We call for (1) sustainable harvesting and marketing of NTFPs, (2) the introduction of alternative livelihood opportunities (e.g. beekeeping and on-farm production of NTFPs), (3) active wildlife law enforcement to safe- guard the persistence of great apes, and (4) the introduction of a community-based forest manage- ment programme that will enable communities to secure the rights to use and manage surround- ing forest resources legally.

Gestion forestière multi-usages en Afrique centrale : perceptions, mises en oeuvre et évolutions

Quoique la gestion forestière multiusages (Gfmu) soit promue par les codes forestiers d'Afrique centrale, cette approche reste mal comprise et peu mise en oeuvre pour les forêts de production et les forêts communautaires. L'article présente les résultats de 62 entretiens avec des personnes impliquées dans la gestion forestière au Cameroun, au Gabon et en République démocratique du Congo, et fait ressortir trois interprétations de la Gfmu : une exploitation durable du bois intégrant secondairement les usages des autres acteurs ; une utilisation coutumière des ressources par les populations locales ; une gestion planifiée et formelle de la diversité des biens et fonctions fournis par ces écosystèmes. L'analyse détaillée de huit études de cas montre en pratique que l'aménagement durable de la forêt se focalise presque toujours sur l'exploitation du bois ; quoique l'utilisation du gibier et la collecte des produits forestiers non ligneux soient systématiquement mentionnés dans les documents d'aménagement. À l'inverse, les services environnementaux - séquestration du carbone, protection des bassins versants - ou les biens publics y sont quasi absents. L'inscription de différents usages dans les documents de gestion ne suffit toutefois pas pour qu'ils soient toujours mis en oeuvre sur le terrain. Trois pistes sont explorées pour renforcer l'application de la Gfmu dans le bassin du Congo : concevoir la Gfmu à l'échelle du paysage et non à celle du massif forestier ; améliorer le contenu des documents d'aménagement forestier pour y inclure et valoriser l'ensemble des usages de la forêt ; renforcer le contrôle de l'application effective des documents de gestion, grâce à la certification ou à un meilleur contrôle du respect de la légalité.

Population distribution and threats to sustainable management of selected non-timber forest products in tropical lowland rainforests of south western Nigeria

Uncontrolled harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) poses a serious risk of extermination to several of these species in Nigeria. Yet, there is a paucity of information on the distribution, population status and sustainable management of NTFPs in most of the tropical lowland rainforests. We, therefore, assessed the population, distribution and threats to sustainable management of NTFPs within the tropical lowland rainforests of Omo and Shasha Forest Reserves, south western Nigeria. Data were obtained through inventory surveys on five top priority species including: bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) Baill), African walnut (Tetracarpidium conophorum (Mull. Arg.) Hutch. & Dalziel syn. Plukenetia conophora), chew-stick (Massularia acuminata (G. Don) Bullock), fever bark (Annickia chlorantha Setten & P.J.Maas syn. Enantia chloranta) and bush pepper (Piper guineense Schumach. & Thonn.). Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were used for the inventory. Each forest reserve was stratified into three, viz: less disturbed natural forest (for areas that have been rested for at least ten years), recently disturbed natural forest (for areas that have suffered one form of human perturbation or the other in the last five years), and plantation forest (for areas carrying forest plantation). Data were collected from eighteen 10 m × 500 m belt transects located in the above strata. The species were generally fewer in both plantation and recently disturbed natural forest than the less disturbed natural forest, suggesting that forest disturbances (habitat modification) for other uses may have an effect on the occurrence and densities of the NTFPs. Exceptions to this trend were found for P. guineense and T. conophorum, which were fairly common in both plantation and recently disturbed natural forest. Among three tree NTFP species (i.e. I. gabonensis, M. acuminata and A. chlorantha), only I. gabonensis showed a significant difference in overall DBH size classes for both reserves (t=−2.404; df =21; p=0.026). Three tree NTFP species in both reserves further showed differences from the regular patterns of distribution of trees. The fairly regular reverse J-shaped size class distribution observed for M. acuminata in the study sites, however, suggests a recuperating population. In general, destructive harvesting of species, logging operations, low population size, narrow distribution ranges and habitat degradation are the major threats to the population of NTFPs in the study area. The implications of our findings for sustainable management of NTFPs in the study area are discussed and recommendations are made for a feasible approach towards enhancing the status of the species.

Vegetation recovery and plant facilitation in a human-disturbed lava field in a megacity: searching tools for ecosystem restoration

Unplanned urban development threatens natural ecosystems. Assessing ecosystem recovery after anthropogenic disturbances and identifying plant species that may facilitate vegetation regeneration are critical for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in urban areas. At the periphery of Mexico City, illegal human settlements produced different levels of disturbance on natural plant communities developed on a lava field near the Ajusco mountain range. We assessed natural regeneration of plant communities 20 years after the abandonment of the settlements, in sites that received low (manual harvesting of non-timber forest products), medium (removal of aboveground vegetation), and high (removal of substrate and whole vegetation) disturbance levels. We also tested the potential facilitative role played by dominant tree and shrub species. Plant diversity and vegetation biomass decreased as disturbance level increased. Sites with high disturbance level showed poor regeneration and the lowest species similarity compared to the least disturbed sites. Six dominant species (i.e., those with the highest abundance, frequency, and/or basal area) were common to all sites. Among them, three species (the tree Buddleja cordata, and two shrubs, Ageratina glabrata and Sedum oxypetalum) were identified as potential facilitators of community regeneration, because plant density and species richness were significantly higher under their canopies than at open sites. We propose that analyzing community structural traits of the successional vegetation (such as species diversity and biomass) and identifying potential facilitator species are useful steps in assessing the recovery ability of plant communities to anthropogenic disturbances, and in designing restoration strategies.

Is Non-Timber Forest Product Harvest Sustainable in the Less Developed World? A Systematic Review of the Recent Economic and Ecological Literature

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) provide material subsistence and cash income to millions of rural people, particularly in less developed countries. This paper offers a systematic review of recent trends (2000-2010) in the ecological and economic sustainability of NTFPs. Of 101 NTFP ecological studies, most addressed harvest consequences at the population-individual level (62.4%), and over half (52.5%) were carried out in Latin America. Nearly two-thirds of research (63.3%) reported that extraction was sustainable or likely to be so, compared to less than one-fifth (17.8%) that found it to be unsustainable. Extractive enterprise in Latin America was most often reported as ecologically sustainable (82.6%), and least often in Asia (58.8%). Because little of the economic NTFP literature identifies whether extractive returns meet the financial needs of extractors, at least on a daily basis, we outline economic sustainability criteria in terms of whether returns surpass an absolute poverty line or alternative wage. Of the 71 articles presenting financial data, over two-thirds met or exceeded the threshold of economic sustainability. Roughly 75% of studies demonstrated that gatherers earned more than USD$2 PPP/day (the international absolute poverty line) or more than a local wage. These positive results do not, however, demonstrate that gathering reduces long-term poverty because forest dependence, and likely tenure security, remains low among these populations. Caution must be exercised in terms of extending these results into the future, as changing economic conditions, rates and sources of habitat modification, and climate change all point to increased extractive pressures on tropical forests and savannas.

Non-timber forest products certification in India: opportunities and challenges

Forest certification has emerged as a marketing tool for linking the good forest management practices with the environmentally conscious consumers. Its genesis can be attributed to the society’s concern for the social and environmental significance of forests. Forest management certification when coupled with the chain-of-custody certification; then, the supply chain stages for such forest products can carry an ecolabel. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are of socio-economic and cultural importance for the forest dwelling communities, particularly for the tropical countries like India. India is home to an amazing diversity of plants, with over 46,000 plant species recorded to occur there. NTFP’s availability, utilization, commercialization, exploitation, management practices, policies and tenure systems in different parts of India have high diversity and variability. There is concern, however, that collection methods for most of NTFP species are destructive and wild populations are declining as a result. Thus, the harvest of NTFPs is coming under increasing scrutiny from certification programmes, as it plays a key role in the sustainable management of forest resources and community benefit worldwide. Thus, the present research paper highlights the issues relevant to certification of NTFPs in India, based on more than a decadal experience in dealing with this subject at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal.

When lessons from population models and local ecological knowledge coincide – Effects of flower stalk harvesting in the Brazilian savanna

Sustainable harvest of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can play an important role in biodiversity conservation and livelihoods. However, harvesting policy intended to promote conservation are frequently either ineffective or too complicated. Successful policies should consider ecological impacts, local ecological knowledge and management practices, but NTFP policies are rarely based on these elements. Syngonanthus nitens (Eriocaulaceae, ‘golden-grass’) is one of the most valuable NTFPs from the Brazilian savanna. The handicrafts made from this species’ flower stalks are traditional to the Jalapão region, Tocantins state, but have expanded over a much larger area in recent years. We combined ethnoecological interviews, seed phenology surveys over a large geographical area and harvest experiments in nine sites over 3years to assess local ecological knowledge and management of golden-grass and its long-term effects on population dynamics. Although handicrafting activities are rapidly expanding, local ecological knowledge associated with harvest or management has not been transferred or created outside of Jalapão. Matrix population models illustrate that harvest according to traditional management practices had no impact on golden-grass population dynamics. Earlier harvest of golden-grass, as practiced by new artisans, leads to population decline due to plant uprooting. Local policies for golden-grass harvest are consistent with traditional management, limit the timing but not the quantity of harvest, and are appropriate over a wide geographical scale. Golden-grass and other wild harvested species with similar characteristics hold high potential to help conserve threatened habitat.

Ethnobotanical Knowledge of Medicinal Plants among Tribal Communities in Orissa, India

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are an important source of Pharmaceutical industries for developing a variety of drugs in one hand and in other hand income for the traditional communities living in and around forests. The pressure on forests for the collection of NTFPs has motivated conservation biologists and forest managers to find ways to harvest NTFPs in a sustainable manner. Identification of plant species is the first and foremost criterion in planning for sustainable utilization of resources. The present study was conducted in five-forest division covering 12 villages having an average 345 households of Keonjhar district in Orissa on various NTFPs products. A total of 24 plant species of NTFPs are collected from the forest. The collected NTFPs were used in different purposes i.e. medicines, vegetables, essential oils, dye yielding, food items and other miscellaneous items by the tribal people. The seasonal variations of the availability of NTFPs indicates that there were seven NTFPs found in winter season, eight found in summer season, four in monsoon season and five found in around the year. It was observed that 88.9% villagers were engaged in agriculturefollowed by (10.14%) labor category and only 0.86% in business or service class. In this study, it is suggested that the tribal community should be involved in the established market chain for marketing of NTFP’s. This will be also useful for the conservation and maintenance of NTFPs, which is a major livelihood option for poor traditional communities if we used in a sustainable way.

Economic cost of deforestation in semi-deciduous forests — A case of two forest districts in Ghana

The ecological, economic and socio-cultural roles of forests are under threat in Ghana due to the high rate of deforestation. Efforts are being made to combat this problem through rehabilitation measures. However, the costs of deforestation and restoration benefits are not adequately estimated. This paper fills in the gap in knowledge by providing an empirical estimation of the cost of deforestation in monetary terms. Primary data collected regarding timber, non-timber forest products and soils in semi-deciduous forests were analyzed using opportunity cost and replacement cost techniques. The results emphasize differences in the value of these forest goods and services lost annually. The largest losses were in stumpage fees, edible fruits, and avoided carbon emissions values. The results show that US$133,650,000 gross revenue, equivalent to 2.6% of the 2008 agricultural sector Gross Domestic Product, is lost annually. It can be concluded that restoring the degraded forest lands would bring benefits particularly to the local communities through increased stumpage revenues and harvest of non-timber forest products, as well as additional funds from carbon credits. It is recommended that stakeholders of forest resources are made aware of these costs in order to raise awareness of what they are losing through deforestation.

Non-timber forest product harvest in variable environments: modeling the effect of harvesting as a stochastic sequence

With increasing reports of overexploitation of wild plants for timber and non-timber forest products, there has been an increase in the number of studies investigating the effect of harvest on the dynamics of harvested populations. However, most studies have failed to account for temporal and spatial variability in the ecological conditions in which these species occur, as well as variability in the patterns of harvest intensity. In reality, local harvesters harvest at variable rather than fixed intensity over time. Here we used Markov chains to investigate how different patterns of harvesting intensity (summarized as return time to high harvest) affected the stochastic population growth rate (lambda(s)) and its elasticity to perturbation of means and variances of vital rates. We studied the effect of bark and foliage harvest from African mahogany Khaya senegalensis in two contrasting ecological regions in Benin. Khaya populations declined regardless of time between harvests of high intensity. Moreover, lambda(s) increased with decreasing harvesting pressure in the dry region but, surprisingly, declined in the moist region toward lambda(s) = 0.956. The stochastic elasticity was dominated by the stasis of juveniles and adults. The declining growth rate with decreasing harvest pressure in the moist region was mainly driven by the declining mean survival rates of juveniles and adults. Our results suggest that modeling the temporal variability of harvest intensity as a Markov chain better mimics local practices and provides insights that are missed when temporal variability in harvest intensity is modeled as independent over time and drawn from a fixed distribution.

What do matrix population models reveal about the sustainability of non-timber forest product harvest?

Summary 1. Understanding how management activities impact plant population dynamics is necessary to conserve at-risk species, control invasive species and sustainably harvest non-timber forest products (NTFP). For NTFP, knowledge about how the sustainability of harvest varies by plant life-form and part harvested is limited and needed to inform management of the thousands of species providing income to millions of people world-wide. 2. Matrix population models are commonly used to generate management recommendations. We reviewed studies of 46 NTFP species that used matrix models and synthesize the current knowledge on harvest effects. For 19 species with harvested and control populations, we assessed the impacts of harvest on projected population growth rates (k) using meta-analysis and analysed trends in population responses to harvest across species, life-forms and plant part harvested using elasticity and life table response experiment (LTRE) analyses, and the combination of both, to assess vulnerability to harvest. 3. NTFP harvest significantly reduced k across species. On the scale of individual studies, however, k provided little information about harvest sustainability unless replication was sufficiently high. Most studies had low levels of replication over space or time and did not include contrasting levels of harvest. 4. Whole-plant harvest of herbs and bark harvest from trees were not sustainable largely because of decreases in survival. Palm leaf or fruit harvest and rattan stem harvest were potentially sustainable. Combined elasticity–LTRE analysis was especially valuable in assessing the sustainability of harvest when differences in k between harvested and control populations were small, for studies with limited replicates, and where harvest effects varied regionally. 5. Synthesis and applications. The use of matrix models to assess the impacts of NTFP harvest is still rare in regions where trade of wild plants is heaviest and for several commonly harvested life-forms. Given the high variance in estimates for most NTFP species,k does not provide a precise assessment of harvest impacts. We recommend that managers consider the combined elasticity–LTRE analysis in addition tok in making management decisions for NTFP. NTFP research that accounts for environmental drivers of population dynamics in addition to harvest should be prioritized.

Human impacts on leaf economics in heterogeneous landscapes: the effect of harvesting non-timber forest products from African mahogany across habitats and climates

Summary 1. Non-timber forest products (NTFP) are harvested by millions of people for their livelihood. To define sustainable harvest limits it is critical to understand the biological impacts of harvest. In the last decade we have improved our understanding of the demographic mechanisms driving population level responses to harvest. Our understanding of the ecophysiological underpinnings for these processes is still limited. 2. We tested the effect of foliage harvest by indigenous Fulani people on leaf stoichiometry and economics in Khaya senegalensis (Meliaceae) in two vegetation types (fallows vs. forest) and in two ecological regions (dry vs. moist) in Benin, West Africa. 3. Leaf mass per area (LMA) increased with aridity. Across sites and treatments, LMA correlated negatively with nitrogen and phosphorus per mass (Nmass and Pmass respectively), more strongly than with concentrations per area (Narea and Parea respectively) consistent with world-wide trends in leaf economics. The effect of foliage harvest on foliar nutrient concentrations was dependent on plant size and habitat. Harvesting increased Nmass and Pmass in larger trees, and altered the LMA ) Nmass relationship between vegetation types and the LMA ) Parea relationship between ecological regions, but it did not affect stoichiometry (N:P or C:N ratios). 4. Synthesis and applications. The context-dependent effect of harvest on leaf economics emphasizes the importance of considering plant size and climate in predicting the biological consequences of NTFP harvest, and explains some of the ecophysiological mechanisms underlying demographic responses to harvest. The plant size- and climate-dependent effects of harvest on leaf composition suggest a different approach for assessing the impact of NTFP harvest on population dynamics. NTFP harvest should be modelled explicitly as a size dependent factor and integral projection models provide the framework for this. Our findings suggest that to reduce harvesting pressure on wild populations, it is important to encourage Fulani owned K. senegalensis plantations, especially in the dry region where harvest had greater effects.

Integrating livelihoods and conservation in protected areas: understanding the role and stakeholder views on prospects for non-timber forest products, a Bangladesh case study

Protected areas (PAs) represent a key global strategy in biodiversity conservation. In tropical developing countries, the management of PAs is a great challenge as many contain resources on which local communities rely. Collection and trading of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is a well-established forest-based livelihood strategy, which has been promoted as a potential means for enhanced conservation and improved rural livelihoods in recent years, even though the sustainability or ecological implications have rarely been tested. We conducted an exploratory survey to understand the role and stakeholder views on conservation prospects and perceived ecological feasibility of NTFPs and harvesting schemes in a northeastern PA of Bangladesh, namely the Satchari National Park. Households (n = 101) were interviewed from three different forest dependency categories, adopting a stratified random sampling approach and using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study identified 13 locally important NTFPs, with five being critically important to supporting local livelihoods. Our study suggests that collection, processing and trading in NTFPs constitutes the primary occupation for about 18% of local inhabitants and account for an estimated 19% of their cash annual income. The household consensus on issues relating to NTFPs and their prospective role in conservation was surprisingly high, with 48% of respondents believing that promotion of NTFPs in the PA could have positive conservation value. The majority (71%) of households also had some understanding of the ecological implications of NTFP harvesting, sustainability (53%) and possible management and monitoring regimes (100%). With little known about their real application in the field, our study suggests further investigations are required to understand the ecological compatibility of traditional NTFP harvesting patterns and management.

Effects of Harvest of Nontimber Forest Products and Ecological Differences between Sites on the Demography of African Mahogany

The demographic impacts of harvesting nontimber forest products (NTFP) have been increasingly studied because of reports of potentially unsustainable harvest. Nevertheless, our understanding of how plant demographic response to harvest is altered by variation in ecological conditions, which is critical for developing realistic sustainable-use plans, is limited. We built matrix population models to test whether and how variation in ecological conditions affects population responses to harvest. In particular, we examined the effect of bark and foliage harvest on the demography of populations of African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) in two contrasting ecological regions of Benin, West Africa. K. senegalensis bark and foliage harvest significantly reduced its stochastic population growth rates, but ecological differences between regions had a greater effect on population growth rates than did harvest. The effect of harvest on population growth rates (Deltalambda) was slightly stronger in the moist than in the drier region. Life-table response experiments revealed that the mechanism by which harvesting reduced lambda differed between ecological regions. Lowered stasis (persistence) of larger life stages lead to a reduction in lambda in the drier region, whereas lowered growth of all life stages lowered lambda in moist region. Potential strategies to increase population growth rates should include decreasing the proportion of individuals harvested, promoting harvester-owned plantations of African mahogany, and increasing survival and growth by promoting no-fire zones in gallery forests. Our results show how population responses to harvest of NTFP may be altered by ecological differences across sites and emphasize the importance of monitoring populations over the climatic range in which they occur to develop more realistic recommendations for conservation.

Conceptualizing Multiple Nontimber Forest Product Harvest and Harvesting Motivations Among Balsam Bough Pickers in Northern Minnesota

Based on interviews with balsam bough pickers in northern Minnesota (n = 41), this study uses data related to all nontimber forest products (NTFP) harvested to explore benefits of multiple-NTFP analysis, and the utility of two concepts in understanding multiple-NTFP harvesting. First assuming that economic activity is cultural, we use the concept of pluriform economy to disaggregate NTFP activity, while the concept of cultural keystone products is used to arrange the component products into salient groups. One keystone product emerged—balsam boughs—and two keystone groupings—game and furs. Balsam, game, and furs represented 34% of all NTFP identified, yet accounted for the activities of 71% of the sample. The concepts facilitated organization of NTFP into meaningful analytical units. We suggest that balsam harvesters are distinct, overlapping groups organized by culturally important NTFP. We conclude that the cultural keystone concept will contribute to research by providing indicators of distinct, interconnected social institutions.

Gathering in Thoreau's backyard: nontimber forest product harvesting as practice

Understanding of the gathering of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) in woodlands has focused heavily on politics surrounding public lands and harvester communities. Yet forest gathering may be far more universal. This paper reports the results of a survey of residents in New England, querying whether people gather wild things and for what purposes. The results suggest that gathering in New England, and elsewhere in the developed world, is not restricted to a unique type of community or economy, but instead is a form of practice. Those analytical approaches to NTFPs that seek to produce ‘alternatives’ to the dominant economy may therefore ironically work to reinforce a capitalocentric view of daily life.