ABSTRACT
The forest-based bioeconomy is a way to reduce environmental impacts while using biomass to meet industrial requirements. To understand the situation regarding non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and the bioeconomy in Mexico, official trade statistics for 1995–2017 were analysed along with empirical data from three case studies, which included details regarding illegal trade. Officially reported NTFPs (legally-traded NTFPs) are of marginal national-level economic value, accounting for less than 1% of GDP and less than the agriculture or timber sectors. In the study period, Mexico produced 213,442 ± 24,859 tonnes of NTFPs per year with an average annual value of USD PPP 46.1 ± 2.8 million. However, official trade statistics underestimate NTFP volumes and values in Mexico; developing accurate estimates would be an important step toward understanding the potential of NTFPs in the bioeconomy. The official reporting system needs reform. Reported plant taxa of commercial importance are generally harvested from low-diversity ecosystems. Given the variation in products and origins, initiatives to develop the NTFP-based bioeconomy could benefit from differentiating state-level potentials. The current approach to the bioeconomy in Mexico needs to change from a techno-bioresource approach focusing on neo-industrialisation to a socio-bioresource approach emphasising poverty alleviation, resource sustainability, and secondary processing.
