Abstract
There has been much emphasis placed on the economic contribution that non-timber forest products (NTFP) can make to rural livelihoods of people living in or near forests. In this study we focus on the benefits of greenery obtained from two tree species, romerillo (Lomatia ferruginea (Cav.) R. Br.) and avellano (Gevuina avellana Mol.), collected by indigenous women in southern Chile. Trees producing commercial-quality leaves grew in secondary forests dominated by species usually abundant in ecological formations that follow forest degradation. Natural availability of greenery was relatively low (658 and 38 commercial leaves per hectare for romerillo and avellano, respectively) which added to restrictive market conditions resulted in modest financial returns and a contribution to household income of less than 1%. Our results confirm that trade on NTFP does not always lead to significant income generation. Yet, the information provided, represents a basis to explore management alternatives, such as agroforestry schemes, which can potentially expand greenery yield and economic returns.
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Acknowledgements
We are indebted to the female collectors from the indigenous communities of Aleucapi, Punotro, Puquintrín and Trafunco Los Bados. We also wish to thank CONAMA (Chilean National Commission for the Environment), World Wildlife Fund, United Nations Development Program, Fundación Andes (Grant C-13960/47), and FORECOS Scientific Nucleus for their technical and financial support. We thank Dr. Jason Sibold and Miss Brenda Roman for their editorial assistance.
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Nahuelhual, L., Palma, J., Gonzalez, M.E. et al. Potential for greenery from degraded temperate forests to increase income of indigenous women in Chile. Agroforest Syst 74, 97–109 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-008-9151-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-008-9151-4