Social Business Entrepreneurs

In the areas of sustainable harvesting and marketing, there are many examples of what works best for communities given the constraints of limited budgets and resources. With the emphasis on NTFPs, other forms of assistance are needed as compared to merely timber management. Existing are simple monitoring systems with a maximum community involvement - these best practices need to compiled and disseminated to others in the hopes that other countries may learn from the Philippine experience.

It is a practical guide to working with a community towards sustainable NTFP management and describes a step-by-step process by which a community can develop, implement and monitor a plan towards sustainable NTFP use.

 

It is meant for use of those working with local forest based communities, whether they are community members, NGO representatives or government personnel. It would be useful for DENR, NCIP and NGOs as a resource book for their training and fieldwork

 

The manual covers the principles and the seven-step process of sustainable and community-based NTFP management, as well as some examples from India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

 

The Principles are as follows:
1) Consider the entire NTFP management system;
2) Promote community participation;
3) Integrate scientific and local knowledge; and
4) Apply adaptive management.

 

On the other hand, the Seven-Step Process involves:

1) Identifying the NTFPs and the community who are to manage them;
2) Determining the community’s goals for NTFP management;
3) Documenting the community’s existing management system;
4) Evaluating the existing system’s potential for sustainability;
5) Incorporating new approaches to management;
6) Developing a plan for sustainable management; and
7) Implementing and monitoring the management plan.

The manual was the result of two visits to the Philippines: the first of which was in December 2002, when Dr. Stockdale attended a workshop in Negros Occidental on participatory NTFP mapping and inventory. The second visit to the country was in September 2003, during a regional meeting on assessment and monitoring of NTFPs in Nueva Viscaya. Several objections were raised during these meetings, namely: quantitative assessment and monitoring methods mentioned were too costly, time consuming and difficult, NTFPs are not timber, and local people should be consulted regarding sustainable NTFP management.

Several concerns that should be addressed in the future, namely: 1) how to evaluate whether local knowledge on NTFP management from communities has been recognized and utilized, 2) determining if government extension systems and policies support local knowledge, 3) how to move from a timber-based management framework to one suited to communities and NTFPs, and 4) how do stakeholders work together to achieve sustainable and community-based management of NTFPs.