CAN NON-TIMBER PRODUCTS HELP SAVE TROPICAL FORESTS?
For some time now, tropical forest conservationists have been wondering whether encouraging the sale of products such as mushrooms, berries or medicinal herbs may reduce the need for farmers to cut down tropical forests. In a new volume in the Tropenbos-Kalimantan Series, Wil de Jong explores whether commercialization of such forest products can actually reduce tropical deforestation. Most of the material for this study comes from West Kalimantan, an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo. Local Dayak farmers grow rice, manioc and bananas as their staple food in agricultural fields for which lush primary forest had to be cut. However, they also collect numerous non-timber forest products (NTFPs). In fact, 630 species were recorded for which people had some use or other. The secret of making a success of the idea that the commercialization of NTFPs can help save tropical forest lies in understanding local forest management. Managing forests is common practice among farmers in West
