ABSTRACT
The term non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is one with which many of us are familiar, although coined only a decade or so ago. It was introduced to draw attention to the fact that indigenous forests and woodlands produce a range of important natural products besides merchantable timber. The concept of the ‘hidden harvest’ was similarly used to highlight the importance of non-agricultural resources for rural households. Many NTFPs are key to rural dwellers' livelihoods and have considerable commercial potential. It is this potential of NTFPs as a source of income for rural communities and as an incentive for natural resource management and conservation that has been researched and developed in many countries. Access to, and use of, such resources is frequently the foundation for formal community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) or ‘people and parks’ programmes in South and southern Africa.
