ABSTRACT
Millions of rural people depend on the collection or sale of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for income and material goods. NTFPs provide many benefits, including cash income and access to subsistence goods, opportunities to preserve cultural and family ties, and avenues for strengthening and maintaining human-nature connections (Shackleton, Chapter 2). However, managing forests for NTFPs is challenging as the term NTFP encompasses a very diverse set of products that intersect in varied ways with cultural traditions, subsistence livelihoods, and local, national, regional and global markets (Shackleton and Pandey 2014). NTFPs include entire organisms, as well as parts of organisms such as roots, stems, bark, saps and resins, fruits, nuts, seeds, seed pods, flowers and fungal fruiting bodies, among others (Ticktin, Chapter 3). Products are harvested for use as medicines, foods, beverages, lubricants, beauty products, and fuel; they also provide materials for shelters, landscaping, utensils, decorative items, clothing, and ceremonial objects.
