The ecological implications of harvesting non‐timber forest products

Abstract

Summary1. The harvest of wild non-timber forest products (NTFP) represents an important source of income to millions of people world-wide. Despite growing concern over the conservation of these species, as well as their potential to foster forest conservation, information on the ecological implications of harvest is available only in disparate case studies. 2. Seventy studies that quantify the ecological effects of harvesting NTFP from plant species were reviewed, with the aims of assessing the current state of knowledge and drawing lessons that can provide guidelines for management as well as better directing future ecological research in this area. 3. The case studies illustrated that NTFP harvest can affect ecological processes at many levels, from individual and population to community and ecosystem. However, the majority of research was focused at a population level and on a limited subset of plant parts that are harvested. 4. Tolerance to harvest varies according to life history and the part of plant that is harvested. Moreover, the effects of harvest for any one species are mediated by variation in environmental conditions over space and time, and by human management practices. 5. In order to withstand heavy harvest, specific management practices in addition to gathering are necessary for many NTFP species. Management practices can be carried out at different spatial scales and some are highly effective in fostering population persistence. 6. Synthesis and applications . Substantial advances have been made towards identifying the ecological impacts of NTFP harvest. However, there is a need for longer-term studies that focus on multiple ecological levels (ranging from genes to ecosystems), that assess the mechanisms underlying impacts and that validate current models. Researchers and forest managers need to work with local harvesters in designing and evaluating management practices that can mitigate the negative effects of harvest.

Padrões de saúde e segurança no trabalho e extrativismo: o caso de comunidades rurais da Amazônia brasileira

“…De fato, os chamados produtos florestais não madeireiros (PFNMs), consagrados pela literatura internacional sob essa denominação (Peters, Gentry, Mendelsohn, 1989;Hall;Bawa, 1993;Ticktin, 2004) receberam pouca atenção da área de SST. A série do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, denominada Produção da Extração Vegetal e da Silvicultura (IBGE, 2006), é a melhor fonte de informações sobre PFNMs no Brasil, mas também não traz indicações sobre SST.…”

“…Padrões de segurança no trabalho e de saúde ocupacional são áreas de estudo consolidadas para as engenharias florestal, civil, de produção, de minas, ambiental, entre outras (Fonseca et al, 2015), para a medicina do trabalho (Câmara;Assunção;Lima, 2007), ergonomia (Bostrand, 1992;Alencar Filho, 1993;Grandjean, 1998) e também para a economia e a sociologia do trabalho que os interpretam a partir da ótica social e econômica (Câmara;Assunção;Lima, 2007). Sob a chave ambiental, essas mesmas áreas acabam articulando a discussão de saúde e segurança no trabalho ao uso sustentável dos recursos naturais (Hall;Bawa, 1993;Ticktin, 2004). Há estudos sobre a coleta de sementes em árvores no caso de atividades florestais (Seixas, 1991), na ergonomia do extrativismo e boas práticas no manejo de frutos como o açaí e andiroba (Canto, 2001;Plowden, 2004;Pinto et al, 2010;Rocha et.…”

EFFECTS OF HARVESTING ON LEAF PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF Copernicia prunifera (Mill.) H.E. Moore1

“…The traditional extraction is usually sustainable and is based on popular knowledge about the ecology of exploited species (TICKTIN;JOHNS, 2002). However, this knowledge does not ensure that the extraction is performed in a sustainable manner.…”

“…Forest products are source of income for extractive communities (TICKTIN, 2004). The traditional extraction is usually sustainable and is based on popular knowledge about the ecology of exploited species (TICKTIN;JOHNS, 2002).…”

“…Both expanded leaves (mature) and unexpanded (immature) are obtained for various uses (JOYAL, 1996;TICKTIN, 2004). Studies have reported that the extraction of mature leaves adult reproductive palms can adversely affect the production of their leaves and the reproductive performance, influencing the number of inflorescences of the plant and its fruits production (ENDRESS et al, 2004).…”