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.