THE SCOPE FOR IMPROVING RURAL LIVELIHOODS THROUGH NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS: AN EVOLVING RESEARCH AGENDA

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Abstract
The previously alleged commercialisation-conservation-development links involving non-timber forest products (NTFP) need reconsideration. NTFPs can play an important role in rural livelihood strategies and can contribute to sustained forested landscapes in various tropical areas, but there is no simple answer to how important NTFPs arc in rural livelihoods. The emerging picture we describe is of a diversified research approach towards forest and NTFP use, with more attention being paid to NTFP sources other than natural forests and to the broader socio-economic and spatial context in which forest use occurs. The new ‘resource-in-context’ approach combines insights into community-level creativity and livelihood dynamics with those of macro-economic and spatial processes, which provides a more realistic assessment of the development and conservation potential of NTFPs.