Brazil nut is widely recognized as the cornerstone of the Amazonian extractive economy. Tight linkages between Brazil nut production, regional income, and intact mature forests have thrust this species into focus as a key component of Amazonian conservation and income generation strategies. Nonetheless, a comprehensive synthesis of factors explaining Brazil nut fruit production variation is lacking. We aimed to address this knowledge gap, asking: (1) What are the rates and annual variation of Bertholletia excelsa fruit production at individual and population levels? (2) What factors explain B. excelsa production variation, focusing on spatial and temporal variables, diameter at breast height (dbh), crown attributes, liana loads, and soil attributes? and (3) Does liana cutting affect fruit production? 相似文献
We identified the major non-timber forest products (NTFPs), their contributions to household incomes, and the determinants influenc-ing engagement of households in using NTFPs in the Bonga forest area of Gimbo and Decha Districts of Kaffa Zone, southwest Ethiopia. Six Kebeles (the lowest administrative unit in Ethiopia) were sampled from two Districts and 150 households were randomly sampled using propor-tional-to-size techniques based on the number of farm households in each Kebele. Secondary data were collected from and focus group discussions were conducted with selected individuals. The farmers diversified liveli-hood activities such as crop and livestock production, collection of NTFPs and off-farm activities. NTFPs played a significant role in household incomes. The contribution from the major NTFPs (forest coffee, honey and spices) accounted for 47% of annual household in-come. The role of NTFPs was influenced by a number of factors. Vari-ables including being native to the area (+), total land holding (+), pos-session of livestock (+) and access to extension (+) significantly affected forest coffee production. Age of household head (-), land holding (+) and distance of the market from the residence (-) significantly affected honey production. Size of landholding (+), distance to market (-) and distance of the forest from the residence (-) were significant variables determining the NTFP incomes derived by the households. Attention is needed in the design of policies and strategies for the well-being of households to the contribution of NTFPs to local incomes and the variables that affect the collection of NTFPs must be considered. 相似文献
Myristica dactyloides is characteristic of the mid- and high-elevation evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of India. Aril and seeds of the species are valuable nontimber forest products and are harvested extensively. We made visual estimates of fruit crop size in nine populations. We assessed disturbance using five variables: distance from road, method of harvesting fruits, nonforest matrix around the population, seedling regeneration, and protected area status. Unsustainable harvest and proximity to road impacted fruit crop, as did the nonforest matrix (F = 38.17 df = 5,102, p < .001). While high protection and measures against harvesting keep some populations safe, the harvest method plays a crucial role in determining total fruit production and seedling recruitment in the species. 相似文献
We consider the mechanism of certification to encourage sustainable harvesting and best management practices of Iriartea deltoidea Ruíz and Pavón, in the context of current land use and agricultural management in Amazonian Ecuador. Interviews and observations with harvesters, storeowners, and furniture-makers provided information about current and potential markets for goods made from the palm. To understand the demographic variables that are critical for population stability, data from five plots in each of three different forest types (mature, secondary, and dissected) were collected. Matrix models were used to develop harvesting simulations through which biological constraints on sustainable harvesting were explored. These simulations suggest that sparing individuals 5–15 m tall when pastures are cleared and adding this palm to current agroforestry polycultures can improve the likelihood of sustainable harvesting for this species. Results showed that harvesting Iriartea could fit within current land use. Some forest colonists clear pastures to graze cattle, while others devote land to agriculture, including polycultures of annuals and perennials. In either case, palms can be left standing when forests are cleared. Swidden agriculture (slash and burn or slash and mulch) depends on a fallow period during which secondary forest may begin to regenerate. These secondary forests are ideal locations for extraction of forest products that fit within the cycle of fallow regeneration in areas near human settlements. Sparing Iriartea individuals 5–15 m tall could benefit agriculture, encourage the sustainability of future harvests, and help ensure the future of this palm as a part of the Amazonian landscape.
Interviews with staff of governmental and non-governmental conservation organizations investigated the policy context for certification as a mechanism for conservation. Establishing guidelines for harvesting requires input from all stakeholders in the decision, not simply an ecological analysis. Such guidelines for certifying good management practices, if they are developed, should include provisions for monitoring unanticipated consequences of harvesting or changes in future environmental conditions. Transportation issues and stem drying processes need to be addressed if efforts to expand markets are to succeed. More generally, guidelines for management of forest resources can be improved by combining ecological and social research perspectives; the potential for carrying out such guidelines can be improved by incorporating the knowledge of local forest dwellers and NGOs. 相似文献
Farmers are often blamed for destroying the tropical forest, especially in Laos. Converting shifting cultivation into cash
crop based agriculture is frequently presented as the solution for merging forest protection and poverty alleviation, but
many attempts have ended in failure. A rural development project has attempted to introduce medicinal cardamom (Amomum villosum) cultivation in the notably remote region of Phongsaly (northern Laos), for export to China. With nearly 300 ha planted,
the crop now involves about 75% of the farmers in the region. Farmers fitted cardamom into their farming system, to suit their
needs for sustainability with a crop compatible with existing practices. Results indicate that introducing a cash crop into
a shifting cultivation region is possible if a greater attention is paid to: (i) appraise how the new crop fits into the farming
systems; (ii) prioritise economic issues over agronomic matters, in particular identify markets, traders or commercial risks. 相似文献
Matsutake mushrooms are among the most prized and expensive mushrooms on earth. Since the 1980s NW Yunnan Province has become the largest exporter of Matsutake in China, and money from their sale has become crucial to local livelihoods and to the provincial tax base. Amid fears of declining productivity, regulations have been enacted to control Matsutake harvest, though enforcement remains largely in the hands of harvesters themselves. Here, we measure local harvesters’ perceptions of the ecological determinants of mushroom productivity in contrast to that of the outsider conservation community. We interview 122 harvesters in eight villages in Diqing province, NW Yunnan to determine what is perceived to be detrimental to Matsutake yield, how yield can be improved in the future and who harvesters trust for information. Our results indicate that village leaders and forestry officials are overwhelmingly the most trusted sources for information. Mann and Whitney U tests show general consensus among villages, and MRPP analysis shows general consensus within villages. One village showed significantly higher levels of trust in NGOs. Of the 86% of harvesters who had perceived declining productivity trends over the past 10 years, soil disturbance, climate change, and habitat degradation were most often-cited as causal factors. Log-linear analysis showed almost no significant interactions between perceptions and harvester demographics. Environmental protection and reducing soil disturbance were most often-cited as potentially increasing future yields. We suggest that local and outsider knowledge are complimentary in this system, and that forestry officials and village leaders provide the best conduits for management information. 相似文献
Introduction of Sanjiang Plain The Sanjiang Plain is a vast area of alluvial floodplains and low hills in northeast Heilongjiang Province, China. It is characterized by the confluence of three major rivers, the Heilong River (Amur in Russia), the Wusuli R… 相似文献
State control of marketing agricultural or forestry products may lead to a trade monopoly and restricted competition, resulting in inequitable returns to producers. Consequently, market deregulation for agriculture and other natural products has been advocated to improve market efficiencies, participation and returns for the producers and local traders. The study examines the impact of deregulation of state marketing controls on collection, sale and returns to extractors and traders from non-timber forest products. It assessed whether deregulation policy resulted in greater benefits to primary extractors and a win–win situation for both producers and traders? Mixed effects were found, with no significant changes in terms of trade, demand, or quantum of consumption; but there was an overall increase in the procurement price for several products following deregulation. The collection and farm gate price of tree based oilseeds and honey increased due to lower transaction costs, and ease of trading with a continued demand for these products. The impact on less valuable products was insignificant. Abolition of monopolistic trading increased competition and had a pull effect on the local market prices of several NTFPs. Although traders paid a higher price to procure products, overall they also benefited being able to sell the purchased products to merchants and manufacturers at a better margin than previously. 相似文献