Sustainable Resource Practices: a Study of Non-timber Forest Product Dependency in the Bijagoi Community, Bau District, Sarawak

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are important components of ecosystem services offered by the forest and one of the resources that have a comparative advantage and are in direct contact with communities living around the forest. The study was conducted in Bau District, Sarawak to determine the BiJagoi community’s utilization and dependency on the NTFPs. Preliminary investigation and consultation were conducted with the presence of community leaders, followed by community group discussion and household interviews. The results show that BiJagoi depends on the NTFPs as secondary sources of medicine, firewood, food, and materials for handicrafts. They mostly use NTFPs for personal use. They also mostly collected the NTFPs from outside of JHF and collected the NTFPs only when needed. It was also found that only the frequency of firewood collection is influenced by age. The study concluded that although the BiJagoi depends on NTFPs in their daily life, the pattern utilization is influenced by the age factor. Hence, there is a need for traditional knowledge documentation to preserve the NTFPs' utilization knowledge, thus helping in managing the natural resources.