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Non-Timber Forest Products in the Global Context pp 209–224Cite as

Non-timber Forest Products and Conservation: What Prospects?

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Part of the book series: Tropical Forestry ((TROPICAL,volume 7))

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) were hailed as a “silver bullet” to provide the economic incentives to conserve standing forests while contributing to local livelihoods. While the livelihood benefits of NTFPs have been widely acknowledged, the contribution of the NTFP sector to biodiversity conservation is less certain. Despite increasing skepticism of the ability of NTFPs to contribute to conservation, their promotion and development remains a readily implemented tool for many site level conservation projects. However, this chapter dispels certain assumptions related to NTFP sustainability and the links between NTFP extraction systems and conservation. We conclude that the links are generally tenuous to say the least and suggest that perceptions of the relative value of NTFPs in terms of biodiversity conservation need to be revised.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), 0113 BOCBD, Bogor, 16000, Indonesia

    Terry C. H. Sunderland

  2. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), 281, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Ousseynou Ndoye

  3. Life Cycle Associates LLC, 985 Portola Valley Road, Portola Valley, California, 94028, USA

    Susan Harrison-Sanchez

Authors
  1. Terry C. H. Sunderland
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  2. Ousseynou Ndoye
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  3. Susan Harrison-Sanchez
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Correspondence to Susan Harrison-Sanchez .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

    Sheona Shackleton

  2. Dept. Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

    Charlie Shackleton

  3. Forestry Research (CIFOR), Center for International, Bogor, Indonesia

    Patricia Shanley

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Sunderland, T.C.H., Ndoye, O., Harrison-Sanchez, S. (2011). Non-timber Forest Products and Conservation: What Prospects?. In: Shackleton, S., Shackleton, C., Shanley, P. (eds) Non-Timber Forest Products in the Global Context. Tropical Forestry, vol 7. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17983-9_10

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