The contribution of NTFP-gathering to rural people’s livelihoods around two timber concessions in Gabon

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dc.contributor.authorIponga, Donald Midoko
dc.contributor.authorMikolo-Yobo, Christian
dc.contributor.authorLescuyer, Guillaume
dc.contributor.authorAssoumou, Fidèle Mba
dc.contributor.authorLevang, Patrice
dc.contributor.authorTieguhong, Julius Chupezi
dc.contributor.authorNgoye, Alfred
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-30T23:54:35Z
dc.date.available2023-01-30T23:54:35Z
dc.date.issued2018-02
dc.description© The Author(s) 2017. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Version of Scholarly Record of this Article is published in Agroforestry Systems, 2018, available online at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-016-0022-0 . This article has been updated: an Erratum to this article was published on 09 March 2017. Keywords: NTFPs; Household economy; Rural people; Livelihoods; Governance; Policy; State priorities; Africa; Gabon.
dc.description.abstractNTFPs are often presented as a major contributor to livelihoods, as sources of food and cash, particularly for rural communities. There are few data available in Gabon to confirm this common assertion. This study was conducted on 127 households in 14 villages around two timber concessions in the south-eastern and south-western regions of Gabon for a period of one year. Conventional socio‐economic survey tools such as focus group discussions, census and semi-structured interviews with households were used for gathering the data. Results reveal that rural people depend on various sources of food and income for their livelihoods, but overall, the current contribution of NTFPs obtained from plant sources is insignificant compared to those from other activities. Odika (Irvingia gabonensis), ‘atanga sauvage’ (Dacryodes buettneri), fungus (Termitomyces spp.) and Gabon nut (Coula edulis) represent the main forest products commonly harvested by rural people. They are used primarily for subsistence, but the surplus is sold. The results of this study suggest that: (1) the main components of decree No. 137/PR/MEFP of February 4, 2009, that prohibits the logging of five multiple-use tree species over a period of 25 years in order to safeguard the sources of NTFPs, should be reviewed; and (2) state authorities and partners should promote projects aimed at increasing public awareness of the NTFP sector. These projects should include a census of NTFPs (for food, for medicine and for services), characterize their uses and identify the markets of target products as well as the development potential of NTFPs. Such projects could help Gabon and other Congo Basin countries to fix norms/standards for sustainable natural resource management and for enhancing the contribution of NTFPs to the national economy. This will be particularly relevant in the wake of dwindling oil revenues and the need to diversify and promote other revenue sources in the country.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis study was funded by the ‘Beyond Timber’ project, under a grant from the Congo Basin Forest Fund to Bioversity International, and by the CGIAR Research Programme on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry. The authors are grateful to all participants in the surveys and the colleagues from the ‘Beyond Timber’ Project who made this study possible. USAID funding to pay for publishing this article “open access” is also acknowledged, as well as the grant from the Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB), under the ‘Scenarios of Biodiversity and Biodiversity Offsetting Mechanisms in the Forests of the Congo Basin’ project. Our sincere gratitude goes to the company CEB and to the concession holders of the CPAET Bayonne who allowed us into their concessions, the villagers who patiently sacrificed their time in responding to the lengthy questionnaires and the Ministry of Forestry for their cooperation and outstanding collaboration. The authors thank Laura Snook for her editorial contributions.
dc.identifier.citationIponga, D.M., Mikolo-Yobo, C., Lescuyer, G., Assoumou, F. M., Levang, P., Tieguhong, J. C., & Ngoye, A. (2018). The contribution of NTFP-gathering to rural people’s livelihoods around two timber concessions in Gabon. Agroforest Systems, 92, 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-0022-0
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-0022-0
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14096/212
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.titleThe contribution of NTFP-gathering to rural people’s livelihoods around two timber concessions in Gabon
dc.typeArticle

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