Contribution of NTFPs to cash income of the War Khasi community of southern Meghalaya, North-East India

Ever since their emergence on this planet,human beings have depended on forest resources for their requirements,ranging from food,fuel to shelter.Sustainable extraction of forest resources has been promoted by conservationists and development agencies as a feasible strategy for forest dwellers,which does not diminish the resource base.Yet surveys of actual resource use suggest that for poorer resource-dependent communities without access to markets,non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can only act as a safetynet and a supplementary income source.In southern Meghalaya of India,NTFPs and medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have become an important source of cash and subsistence income for poor people living in or near forests.People in this region have traditionally been collecting different forest products from private forests as well as community conserved forests.The study reveals that NTFPs contribute significantly towards the annual cash income of the local population.The contribution of NTFPs to their income was highest in the case of poor families (9.89%),followed by middle income families (3.34%) and the least for the higher income families (1.34%).Our household survey revealed that 100% of the population is directly or indirectly dependent on NTFPs.Household response indicates diversity in both the types and uses of products collected.     

Quantitative and financial evaluation of non-timber forest products (case study: Zemkan basin forests,West of Iran)

Although Zagros forests in western Iran lack industrial timber value due to the severe climate and socioeconomics problems, non-timber products are of great value and importance due to their high economic potential and also their potential to improve the welfare of forest-dwelling and forest-fringe villagers. This study was done in the forests of the Zemkan basin, an important part of central Zagros forests, Iran, to recognize the non-timber forest products (NTFP_S), investigate their potential economic value and role in people’s livelihood. Data, collected using forest cruising, participatory observations, interviews with indigenous and local persons and experts, identified wild pistachio resin, wild pistachio fruit, oak fruit and oak syrup (Shokeh manna) among the non-timber products in this basin with total potential harvestable NTFPs of 77.16, 771.602, 13248.68, and 1324.868 tons per year, respectively. The economic rent from NTFPs is 33 US$/ha/year and its total expected values with consideration of real interest rate when the exploiter invests the capital in the bank (6.4 %) and when money is borrowed from the bank to execute the incorporated projects (8.4 %) are $516/ha and $393/ha, respectively. Furthermore, families’ economic share from potential profit of NTFPs is annually $601 per household. In addition wild pistachio resin has the highest share of the total potential profit of NTFPs and its equal to 51 % of the total of potential profit of NTFPs. Therefore, it is suggested that decisions be made to increase the infrastructure and strengthen the local selling market to enhance the cash income from NTFPs. Forest participatory management practices are suggested to organize and improve traditional use of the forests.     

Damage to Brazil nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa) during selective timber harvesting in Northern Bolivia

The success of multiple forest management systems is contingent on a variety of social, economic, biophysical, and institutional factors, including the integration of timber and non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction and management. Selective logging for timber is increasingly taking place in forests where the collection of Brazil nuts, a high-value Amazonian NTFP, also occurs. We report on logging damage to Brazil nut trees in three certified timber concessions in Northern Bolivia from which timber is harvested using reduced-impact logging (RIL) guidelines and nuts are gathered yearly from the ground by local people. Observed frequencies of logging damage to Brazil nut trees were low, likely mirroring the low intensity of timber harvesting (∼0.5 trees/ha and ∼5 m³/ha) being currently applied across the study area. Of the trees ≥10 cm in diameter at breast height about 0.1 Brazil nut trees and 0.4 timber species per hectare suffered some degree of logging damage. Crown loss was the predominant damage type for Brazil nut trees accounting for 50% of all damage. In spite of the observed low rates of tree damage, we further recommend that RIL guidelines be amended to include the pre-harvest marking of pre-reproductive Brazil nut trees along with the future crop trees of commercial timber species. Further refining directional felling to reduce crown damage to Brazil nut trees would also serve to help maintain nut yields in the long term.     

Understanding the Relationships Between American Ginseng Harvest and Hardwood Forests Inventory and Timber Harvest to Improve Co-Management of the Forests of Eastern United States

The roots of American ginseng have been harvested from the hardwood forests of the eastern United States, alongside timber, since the mid-1700s. Very little is known about this non-timber commodity relative to timber, although significant volumes of ginseng root have been harvested from the same forests along with timber. The harvest of ginseng correlated positively and significantly with hardwood forest area, hardwood growing stock volume, and timber removals. Also, it correlated with hardwood growing stock on public forestlands in the region. The annual wholesale value of American ginseng was estimated at approximately $26.9 million compared to annual stumpage value of harvested hardwood timber of just over $1.27 billion. The volume of ginseng root harvested from natural forests represents substantial extraction of biomass, and the associated value represents substantial income for people living in an economically marginalized region. Co-management of eastern hardwood forests for timber and non-timber forest products could improve local economies and better conserve the biodiversity of these forests.     

Community Forest Management in Thailand: Current Situation and Dynamics in the Context of Sustainable Development

Community forest management (CFM) has received increasing worldwide attention from governments, researchers and educational institutions over the past two decades. Many governments, especially in developing countries, have prioritized CFM over traditional forest management systems. In Thailand, CFM is not recognized by the legal system; however, there are de facto CFM practices under common property resource regimes. CFM has in essence been practiced here for hundreds of years by local people, and represents an important aspect of Thai culture. This study aims at evaluating CFM in Thailand in the context of sustainable development. To meet the objective, the study gathered information through focus group discussions with various stakeholders: academics, Forest Department staff, and members of the Chang Tok Tay community forests. From the study, it emerged that forest resources are critical for the livelihoods and survival of rural people, and so they have protected forests to ensure sustainable livelihoods. This study identified that prospects for sustainable CFM in Thailand are bright because: (i) community members are highly motivated and are sufficiently interested to protect trees because they are well aware that their livelihoods are under threat from depleting forests; (ii) tradition and culture of rural people support their relation with nature; (iii) non-timber forest products (NTFPs) play a crucial role in local livelihoods for subsistence and necessitate protection of the forest watershed, which is vital to support their occupations; (iv) spiritual rituals such as those where Buddhist monks bind yellow cloth on trees play a vital role in protecting trees, something rare in other countries. The study further identified various hindrances to achieve sustainable CFM: (i) legal support for CFM is absent; (ii) the Royal Forest Department (RFD) cannot transfer appropriate technology to community people due to lack of legal support; (iii) scope for developing effective strategies for sustainable CFM by combining traditional knowledge with existing scientific knowledge is limited; (iv) a formal institutional arrangement for CFM does not exist; and (v) community members’ access to the hard technology of CFM is limited. Therefore, in addition to legalizing CFM, a formal institutional framework for elaboration, implementation and control of CFM is essential to achieve sustainable CFM in Thailand.     

我国经济林林地稳定性研究

利用我国16个省市的最近两期森林资源连清固定样地数据，计算和比较经济林和非经济林的保存率，平均年龄，期望寿命等，对我国经济林的林地稳定性，通过定量研究，最后得出我国经济林林地稳定性明显不如非经济林林地稳定性的结论。     

勐腊林区农民参与森林管理探讨

勐腊县在1980～1985年实行农民参与式森林代管.代管期间,全县乱砍滥伐、毁林开荒面积由1978年的2 973.3hm2下降到1985年的271.3hm2;森林火灾次数和受害面积降低,分别是实行代管前的11.9%和39.4%.农民的造林积极性提高,造林面积年平均为1110.7hm2,是代管前的2.72倍,集体或农户造林面积占96.3%;妇女从事林业生产活动时间增加,由1980年每人的40天增加到1985年的100天.农户采集和销售的非木质林产品数量增加,1984年全县干竹笋采集量为86t,分别是1978年的3.55倍和1988年的1.72倍,全县收购的紫胶、竹笋、木耳和藤篾分别是是代管前的1.86、2.67、2.21和2.85倍;销售森林产品和代管森林所获得的收入由1980年的110元增加到1985年的320元,提高291%.说明农民参与森林管理有利于森林资源的保护和农村经济的发展.以此对勐腊县森林管理实行农民代管的原因、方法及存在问题进行了总结.     

China’s Forests and Their Impact on Global Carbon Cycle

Forests have multiple benefits and functions, including mitigation of climate change. The impacts of forests on the global carbon cycle include forests as carbon sinks, wood-based products as carbon sinks, bio-energy, and production and use of non-timber products. In the past decades, forest cover of China has increased from 8.6% to 18.21% by large-scale afforestation and conversion of cropland into forests. Forest biomass carbon (C) stock increased from 4.3 Pg C (1 Pg C = 1 015 g C) in the early 1980s to 5...     

Forests,people and environment: some African perspectives§

Forests in Africa support the livelihoods of millions of people through provision of timber and non-timber forest products, food and nutrition, energy and payment of environmental services. However, mismanagement of forests has resulted in deforestation and forest degradation, thereby contributing to the increased emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This special issue highlights some of the research outcomes presented at a pre-congress workshop organised by the African Forest Forum and partners at the 2015 World Forestry Congress. In this issue, the main drivers of land degradation are highlighted vis-à-vis population growth, agricultural expansion, climate variability, drought and energy needs. Promising traditional management practices are identified including age-old farmer-managed natural regeneration and exclosures. In addition, research presented indicates that age-old systems such as native non-browse shrubs in Ethiopia are important in that they facilitate regeneration of late-successional tree species. Furthermore, opportunities for using forests to mitigate climate change are highlighted with a case study on the economics associated with carbon markets. The issue also highlights the methodological challenges of quantifying carbon in African forests. The effect of climate change on threatened forest species and biodiversity in general is discussed, and the associated human disturbances impacting on the population structure of a threatened species, e.g. Afzelia africana in West Africa, is presented. The important role of non-timber forest products in income generation for the rural communities and the associated challenges of commercialisation is emphasised with examples from two important tree species: shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) and baobab (Adansonia digitata). Finally, the issue covers a people-centred approach in tree planting and management where studies demonstrated that there are still problems of poor participation of local communities due to poor implementation of enabling policies, lack of involvement in initial planning and subsequent lack of clear benefit-sharing mechanisms.     

Land-use options to encourage forest conservation on a tribal reservation in the Philippines

The Negrito (Ati) tribe of Nagpana, Iloilo, Philippines has traditionally been dependent on shifting cultivation and on hunting and gathering of non-timber forest products for its livelihood. In recent decades the Ati have derived increasing income from wage labor for adjacent landowners and from permanent rice cultivation. The consequent clearing of residual forests has resulted in extensive soil degradation, reduced crop yields, and loss of both commercial and subsistence non-timber forest products.Various agroforestry systems which incorporate permanent tree crops into traditional systems have great potential to reverse these losses. This study analyzes the economic sustainability of four different land-use options for the Ati. The net present value (NPV) of a system which incorporates both sustainable use of the existing forest and plantations of fast-growing tree species on agricultural lands is superior to all other alternatives. Social and environmental benefits from this system further justify implementation. Any recommendations to develop such an option must take into account the constraining factors typical of such upland communities.     

Economic contribution of wild edible mushrooms to a forest fringe ethnic community in some eastern lateritic parts of India

Dry deciduous forests of the eastern lateritic part of India are a typical case where forest valuation is yet to be integrated with the non-timber forest products like wild edible mushrooms (WEMs), which have a wide use in subsistence and cash income. A detailed accounting of the production and utilization of WEMs harvested from that region was made to highlight the economic worth of WEMs to the Santal community of this region. The WEMs production in the forest was in a polynomial pattern during the monsoon period. The net present value of revenues from WEMs was estimated to be contributing 9.83 and 10.29 % of total annual income of a Santal family of the Choupahari and Gonpur forests, respectively. The ecological footprint of the Santal communities on WEMs was higher in the forest area which was closer to the local markets than did the distant ones. Forest areas of the eastern lateritic part of India have a strong potentiality to produce WEMs that may be helpful for socio-economic upliftment of local tribal communities through the development of entrepreneurship and policy making.     

Potential for greenery from degraded temperate forests to increase income of indigenous women in Chile

There has been much emphasis placed on the economic contribution that non-timber forest products (NTFP) can make to rural livelihoods of people living in or near forests. In this study we focus on the benefits of greenery obtained from two tree species, romerillo (Lomatia ferruginea (Cav.) R. Br.) and avellano (Gevuina avellana Mol.), collected by indigenous women in southern Chile. Trees producing commercial-quality leaves grew in secondary forests dominated by species usually abundant in ecological formations that follow forest degradation. Natural availability of greenery was relatively low (658 and 38 commercial leaves per hectare for romerillo and avellano, respectively) which added to restrictive market conditions resulted in modest financial returns and a contribution to household income of less than 1%. Our results confirm that trade on NTFP does not always lead to significant income generation. Yet, the information provided, represents a basis to explore management alternatives, such as agroforestry schemes, which can potentially expand greenery yield and economic returns.     

An Overview of Non-Timber Forest Products in the United States Today

Summary

As people become more interested in personal health and family activities, demand for wild forest products has increased. This increased demand coupled with an increased concern for sustainable m anagement practices has focused attention on the variety of issues and products involved in the non-timber forest products industry. Forest management organizations have gradually increased funding for research and management of non-timber forest products over the past two decades. The broad categories of U.S. non-timber forest products include floral greens, Christmas greens, ornamentals and craft materials, wild edibles, medicinals, ceremonials/culturals, and native transplants. The increase in resource pressure has had many policy reactions, including restricted access, harvesting fees, and harvest limits. Opportunities for public input to policy decisions on federal, state and private land are often unclear or nonexistent. Researchers, managers, and policy makers are working to understand the multitude of issues surrounding non-timber forest products, including biology, management, public policy and equity issues.     

Strategies for empowering the local people to participate in forest restoration

Within various parts of the tropics and temperate regions, there are increasingly more efforts towards reforestation or restoration. Interventions in the tropics however, have not adequately addressed the needs of local people compelling them to degrade forests. We conducted a study in and around Mabira Forest Reserve in Uganda with the aim of assessing locally proposed restoration techniques and conditions for empowering local people to raise their willingness to participate in forest restoration practices. We specifically set out to; (i) identify proposed techniques to restore the degraded forests, and (ii) determine the pre-conditions for supporting local people’s participation in restoration activities. Data were collected using individual semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and participatory forest surveys. The findings show that the local people mainly engaged in practices that address their needs concurrently. The most reported practices include: planting trees on farm, enrichment tree planting in the forest, control of soil erosion, and control of invasive alien species. The main pre-conditions for their participation in forest restoration is assurance for more access to forest resources. The efficiency of local people in restoration will be enhanced by strengthening their capacity for collaborative forest management, raising their awareness on restoration, building their capacity, as well as continuous monitoring by forest managers.     

嵩明县森林资源管护的难点及良化对策

嵩明县实施天保工程以来,在森林管护及生态建设上取得了一定的成绩,但在具体的森林管护工作中却存在：林农矛盾未全面解决;林火管理难度大;林内采薪、放牧、采实(菌)屡禁不止;内部管理不协调;非天保区管护松懈等问题。在分析这些难点的基础上,结合嵩明县实际,提出了相应的良化森林资源管护对策。     

Socio-economic significance of reed forests in a rural community: A case study from the greater Sylhet Region of Bangladesh

The reed forests that are the subject of this study are scattered over five thanas of the Sunamganj and Sylhet Districts of the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. Their total area is 23,590 ha and they have great ecological, economic, commercial and socio-economic importance due to the diversified resources they supply. However, the forests are commonly encroached on by local people who are perceived to be seriously depleting the resource. This paper deals with the socio-economic status of the people residing near these reed forests, and examines their dependency on the resources provided by the reed forests. A socio-economic survey, participatory rural appraisal and interviews were used to obtain baseline data of the reed forest resource and the local communities. The study reveals that the communities in the study region have higher income than other areas of Bangladesh. Most survey respondents have other occupations in addition to farming. The literacy rate is 28.8%. Among the illiterate, 68% engage in collecting reeds. Although the Forest Department has a management plan for sustainable use of the reed forests, encroachers receive backing from political leaders and local elites, so their eviction is difficult. In order to achieve long-term productivity and sustainability from the reed forests, this study recommends a strategy of developing an integrated joint management plan between the Forest Department and the local people.     

非木质林产品与减少贫困研究综述

在我国日益成为世界主要林产品生产和对外贸易大国,而林区尤其是偏远山区非木质林产品资源丰富却普遍贫困的背景下,文中从非木质林产品与居民收入增加、非木质林产品与粮食安全、非木质林产品与乡村安全网、非木质林产品的市场化等方面,结合我国的研究和实际情况总结非木质林产品与减少贫困的研究概况,对已有的相关研究结论和研究方法进行评析,讨论现有研究特点和不足,并从我国的客观实际出发展望如何利用和开发非木质林产品来减少贫困,增加林区居民收入。     

热带次生林经营引入物种选择

在国际热带木材组织（ITTO）的资助下,广东省林业科学研究院在广东新会和海南通什开展了“旨在提高生态和经济效益的热带地区次生林经营研究与示范”活动。其目的是通过在干扰破坏较严重的次生林中引入具有较好生态和经济效益的优良物种,使林分物种增加,林区居民能从经营中取得非木质产品的经济收益,达到保护和促进次生林的生长发育的目的,实现森林可持续经营的目标。在广东新会热带次生林经营研究与示范区活动中,选择101个引入物种进行试验研究,其中区域缺失和退化的乡土树种68种,占67．3％;外来树种13种,占12．9％;非木质产品物种20种,占19．8％。总结了低质低效次生林经营中物种选择的原则、方法和经营效果。