Socioeconomic Factors Determining Extraction of Non-timber Forest Products on the Slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) from natural forests in sub-Saharan Africa provide significant benefits to rural communities. In this study conducted on the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, we assumed that the extraction of NTFPs by local communities is related to sex, income, age, household size, and distance from the forest. We interviewed 313 household heads from six villages. We employed a logistic regression with a logit link to test the significance among the variables. Younger females of larger households with lower income and less cultivated land cut fodder and collected firewood more frequently than other villagers. Firewood collection frequency decreased with increasing distance from village to forest whereas fodder collection frequency increased. Men collected medicinal plants more frequently than younger women and if the distance from the village was greater. For firewood and fodder extraction, inter-village variation was greater than intra-village variation, suggesting that differences in access to infrastructure and alternative fodder sites also strongly determined NTFP extraction. Our results contribute to a better targeted participatory forest management.

Examining the impact of forest protection status on firewood sufficiency in rural Africa

SUMMARYMillions of people living in poverty depend on non-timber forest products (NTFPs), yet forest protection causes displacement, replacement or reduction of NTFP extraction activities, with implications for human welfare. Here, we assess the impact of forest protection on a novel measure of wellbeing that incorporates both objective and subjective components of people's lives. In five villages near forests with mixed protection status in Tanzania, household perceived need for firewood is compared with actual consumption in order to provide a simple metric of firewood sufficiency. Firewood sufficiency varied with forest protection status, with non-compliance inferred by household ability to meet firewood needs despite forest access restrictions. Fuel-efficient stove ownership improved the perceived ability to meet firewood needs; however, actual consumption remained unchanged. Firewood sufficiency was significantly lower for those sourcing firewood outside forests, and increased household awareness of the management authority significantly reduced firewood consumption. In a forest landscape of mixed protection status, pressure will likely be displaced to the forest with the least active management authority, affecting their efficiency as non-extractive reserves. Our findings reinforce the need for a landscape approach to forest management planning that accounts for local needs, to avoid leakage to other less well-protected forests and detriment to household welfare.

Intrusion of devil weed Chromolaena odorata, an exotic invasive, into Kinnerasani and Eturnagaram wildlife sanctuaries, Telangana, India

The spread of devil weed is alarming in areas of <em>podu</em> cultivation, on the bunds of agricultural lands, wastelands, along roadsides, tracks, forest gaps, protected areas and plantations in the two said wildlife sanctuaries. It is found invading new territories easily along the river banks and steadily destroying the riparian elements. The manual removal of this weed (mechanical method) before flowering is the effective means to mitigate the spread of the species in comparison to the biological (<em>Pareuchaetes pseudoinsulata, P. insulata, Actinote thalia-pyrrha</em>) and chemical (Glyphosate, Triclopyrester) methods attempted. It is not trouble in its native habitat but is weedy in India for want of natural enemies to keep it under control. It is a mandate to prevent the loss of native biodiversity due to biological invasions. Conversely, there is an urgent need to devise action plans by managers of the respective wildlife sanctuaries to control and eradicate it. The local people are to be educated of its potential dangers to their farming on one hand and NTFP extraction from the local forests on the other. The Government of India has to develop a national level policy towards the control of invasive alien weeds in general and implement it at the earliest before we loose our indigenous biodiversity once for all.

Consumers' Attitudes towards Edible Wild Plants: A Case Study of Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

This study explored the rural revitalizing strategy in FAO's Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) site in Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan, using a case study of edible wild plants. This study assessed the current and possible future utilization of edible wild plants as one important NTFP by clarifying the attitudes of consumers and exploring the challenges of harvesting edible wild plants. Traditional ecological knowledge associated with edible wild plants and the related attitudes of consumers towards wild plants was documented. A questionnaire survey found that a majority of the respondents held positive attitude towards edible wild plants as being healthy, safe food, part of traditional dietary culture. Increasing demand of edible wild plants from urban residents aroused conflicts with local residents’ interest given that around 86% of the forested hills are private in Noto Region. Non timber forest products (NTFP) extraction can be seen as a tool for creating socioeconomic relationships that are dependent on healthy, biodiverse ecosystems. It was suggested that Japanese Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) and Forestry Cooperatives (FCA) could be involved with GIAHS process. As important traditional dietary and ecological system, edible wild plants should be a part of GIAHS project for rural revitalization.

Poverty and spatial dimensions of non-timber forest extraction

ABSTRACTConservationists promote non-timber forest products (NTFP) to simultaneously alleviate poverty and conserve ecosystems. Unfortunately, little is known about how such products actually contribute to poverty alleviation, or how various complementary policies such as green marketing campaigns or cooperative management might impact resource health and users' welfare. This paper develops a simple NTFP extraction model that focuses on spatial and labor market dimensions of use in both managed and unmanaged settings. The model contrasts patterns of spatial use, resource health, and income generation under open access and community-managed institutions. We then test the conceptual model by investigating the case of xate production in the rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico, using survey work conducted over two separate periods. The empirical investigation reveals spatial patterns and labor market outcomes predicted by the model. We find NTFP use is mainly conducted by households with low opportunity costs of time and fewer income generation opportunities.

Market potential and resource management of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in the northern uplands of Vietnam | Nichtholzprodukte im nördlichen Berggebiet von Vietnam: Marktpotenzial und Ressourcenmanagement

Fairly all selected NTFPs of the upland commune Ngo Luong in northwest Vietnam reveal a high market potential including opportunities for sustainable resource management. In order to achieve win-win situations at the research site, management of specific NTFPs through intensification or diversification applied by single households or interest groups is discussed. Apart from better management practices the NTFP producers' position within the market chain should be strengthened by calling for extension trainings on marketing relevant features. These findings base on investigations of household income, NTFP extraction and market chains of economically valuable NTFPs.

Non-timber Forest Products in Nam Dong District, Central Vietnam: Ecological and Economic Prospects

This article analyses the ecological and economic prospects of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and examines the importance of NTFPs for the livelihoods of local forest dwellers. It gives a brief review of NTFPs and the expectations and limitations associated with their use and extraction from natural forests. It argues that when looking at wild NTFPs only, they offer only limited opportunities for the development of local rural livelihoods. The empirical part of the article draws on a case study of NTFP extraction in Nam Dong district, central Vietnam. It provides insights into local NTFP use patterns and the importance of NTFPs for local households. Finally, it assesses the ecological and economic prospects of NTFPs in Nam Dong district. The article concludes that the supply of primary NTFPs in the natural forest is usually insufficient to meet market demands and ecological and economic requirements. If the primary aim is to develop rural households, it is necessary to enrich NTFPs in the natural forest or to cultivate them in manmade systems.