Non-timber forest products

Based on a workshop held to analyse the viability of extraction of NTFPs in Africa and improve knowledge and understanding of the role and potential of NTFPs in forest conservation. Also includes country overview of NTFPs use from fifteen countries.

The objective of this bibliography is to provide an overview of available literature (up to January 1997) concerning non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in the tropical forests of Africa. With this publication, the Netherlands Committee for IUCN hopes to facilitate and encourage the work of government institutions, NGOs and others who wish to engage in studies or activities on NTFPs in tropical Africa.

This book offers an innovative and refreshing look at forest conservation in Palawan Island, the Philippines, where the indigenous Batak peoples make a living from shifting cultivation and collection of non-timber forest products. Through a systematic comparison of Batak practices with those of lowland Filippino migrants, the author demonstrates how the traditions and beliefs of the Batak can help to conserve one of the world's most precious resources, forests.

A fully revised and extended version of a report with the same title, first published in 1989. The book deals with an important but long neglected aspect of the use and management of tropical forests, analyzing the role of the vast array of non-timber forest products in the local and national economies of Southeast Asia. The term "non-timber forest products" encompasses all biological material other than timber which are extracted from forests for human use.

Based on information derived from literature, statistics, interviews and a field survey in Bolivia, this report explores the value of non-timber forest products not only in economic terms but also as an important element in the lives of people who live in or near the forest. Covers values at local, national and international level; intellectual property rights; ecotourism; and sustainability of exploitation with detailed examples.

This account of extractive reserves in the Brazilian Amazon region provides practical examples of sustainability based on first-hand reports. The historical background is followed by examination of social organization, analyses of the economic viability of reserves, the key elements in developing an extractive reserve system, establishment of legislation in Brazil, and subsequent management. It underlines the importance of community involvement.