ABSTRACT
The NTFP certification project team selected three field sites for testing the guidelines based upon several criteria, including: potential marketing links; maturity of the production system; ability of the production system to produce commercially viable quantity and quality; forest conservation impact; and institutional capacity to collaborate. In addition, NTFPs for potential field-testing were chosen on the basis of their commercial value, use, export potential, eco-
logical status, and local and regional economic importance. In the end, three cases were chosen: a chicle operation in Mexico, a Brazil nut-producing forest in Bolivia and two palm heart operations in Brazil – one an industrial operation and the other a community-run operation.
