There is a rapidly growing interest in, and demand for, non-timber forest products (NTFPs). They provide critical resources across the globe fulfilling nutritional, medicinal, financial and cultural needs. However, they have been largely overlooked in mainstream conservation and forestry politics. This volume explains the use and importance of certification and eco-labelling for guaranteeing best management practices of non-timber forest products in the field. Using extensive case studies and global profiles of non-timber forest products, this work not only seeks to further our comprehension of certification processes but also broaden understanding of non-timber forest product management, harvesting and marketing. It should be useful to forest managers, policy-makers and conservation organizations as well as for academics in these areas.

About the author(s)

Patricia Shanley is a research scientist at the Center for international Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Bogor, Indonesia, and co-author of Forest Fruit Trees in the life of Amazonians.
Alan Pierce is an independent consultant specialising in ecological research and policy analysis.
Abraham Guillen is international marketing and programme manager for SmartWood, a forest management certification programme of the Rainforest Alliance.

Contents

The NTFP Certification Project Team * The People and Plants Initiative by Alan Hamilton * People and Plants Partners * Section I: Overview * Section II: NTFP Species Profiles from Around the World - Latin America * Eastern North America * Eastern North America * The Mediterranean Region * Sub-Sahara Africa * Africa and Asia * Other Initiatives * Section III: The Core Elements of NTFP Certification * Section IV: Conclusions and Recommendations * Appendices * Acronyms and Abbreviations * References * Index