Ecological Sustainability for Non-timber Forest Products: Dynamics and Case Studies of Harvesting [Paperback]

There is growing knowledge about and appreciation of the importance of Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs) to rural livelihoods in developing countries, and to a lesser extent, developed countries. However, there is also an assumption on the part of policy-makers that any harvesting of wild animal or plant products from the forests and other natural and modified ecosystems must be detrimental to the long-term viability of target populations and species. This book challenges this idea and shows that while examples of such negative impacts certainly exist, there are also many examples of sustainable harvesting systems for NTFPs. 

The chapters review and present coherent and scientifically sound information and case studies on the ecologically sustainable use of NTFPs. They also outline a general interdisciplinary approach for assessing the sustainability of NTFP harvesting systems at different scales. A wide range of case studies is included from Africa, Asia and South America, using plant and animal products for food, crafts, textiles, medicines and cosmetics.

Part 1: Examining Non-Timber Forest Product Systems  1. Introduction: The Need to Understand the Ecological Sustainability of Non-Timber Forest Products Harvesting Systems  Charlie M. Shackleton, Tamara Ticktin and Ashok K. Pandey  2. Non-Timber Forest Products in Livelihoods  Charlie M. Shackleton  3. The Ecological Sustainability of Non-Timber Forest Product Harvest: Principles and Methods  Tamara Ticktin  4. The Importance of Environmental History in Evaluating the Sustainability of Non-Timber Forest Product Harvesting Systems  Annika C. Dahlberg  Part 2: Case Studies of Ecologically Sustainable Non-timber Forest Product Harvest Systems  5. Harvesting of ló#