A draft strategic methodology for NTFP commercialisation

It has already been mentioned that NTFP gathering can have negative ecological impacts, especially in cases where intensification of gathering activities has taken place, as in the case of medicinal plants and herbs. Thus, any commercialisation attempt should not rely on the presumption that NTFPs production in the Mediterranean takes place by definition on a sustainable basis, but should be accompanied by designing a basic strategy, similar to the ones proposed for the more thoroughly investigated cases of tropical NTFPs.

A basic strategy could be adopted building on those already proposed for tropical NTFP commercialisation. Existing strategies include five steps: initial planning, development of forest inventory, species selection, yield studies and definition of sustainable harvest. In this manner an overall, initial view can be taken at the ecological relations of certain NTFPs to the wider woodland ecosystem.

Initial planning operations include collection of information on the physical and biological characteristics of the woodland environment and, more specifically, the woodland management area including the pertinent NTFP.

The second step, the detailed forest inventory, proceeds to more accurate documentation of existing resources within the selected management area. The forest inventory needs to be conducted through systematic sampling in transect lines.

Species selection is a crucial step in cases where the selected management area offers a variety of NTFPs and a selection needs to be made for proposed commercialisation. Species selection needs to consider parallel studies that identify NTFPs having the highest market value, or the greatest potential for future market expansion. Social factors which indicate which of NTFPs have been exploited traditionally by the adjacent rural communities need to be considered. In this way, there will be no discontinuity in existing cultural traditions of forest use. Also, species selection should be dictated by the proven abilities of proposed species to withstand pressure of continuous extraction. The selection needs to consider life cycle characteristics, multiplicity of uses and types of resources produced and abundance in different types of woodlands and size - class distributions of species population.

Yield studies give an indication of the productivity of the selected NTFP, or the quantity that existing populations can produce. Yield studies are the crucial steps to define the sustainable level of the extraction for a particular NTFP. Their output is a reasonable estimation of the quantity produced with the selected species, within a defined management area.

Given the results of yield studies, a subsequent division will follow of the management area into distinct populations units. In this way, forest types or habitats within the management area are associated certain species, where maximum productivity is achieved. Thus, selected NTFP extraction will take place from well-defined units.

Finally a sustainable harvest for the selected species in the defined units will be determined. This could be achieved by «a successive approximation» technique where the population impact of exploitation is monitored and adjustment to harvest levels takes place to obtain a sustainable yield. More detailed methods can be incorporated in the form of demographic data collection, which involve quantitative analysis of the reasons behind population responses and which process information through plant demography matrix models with the aid of computer modelling.

Following a similar basic strategy for managing the production of non timber forest resources in Mediterranean woodlands can contribute significantly to the welfare of rural communities, without leaving at the same time any dispute related to the environmental impact of their exploitation and commercialisation.

Socio-economic benefits from NTFP commercialisation in the Mediterranean

There is a great economic incentive for countries in the Mediterranean to develop the NTFP production potential of their forests and generate positive socio-economic benefits for rural populations that are compatible with conservation values. However, to deliver this potential there is a need to modify current economic notions which govern Mediterranean forest management. This modification will take place vis-à-vis conservation efforts and, in many times, restoration of woodland resources. The whole attempt should be based on the verified belief that stable woodland Mediterranean ecosystems allow the production of a large number of NTFPs. To strengthen the point it is worth noticing that successful improvements in forest management have reflected and were based on traditional activities based in the relevant areas. Currently, with the possible exception of resins and cork, the production NTFPs in the Mediterranean is highly neglected.

Investing in NTFP production by no means implies a reversal to a dogmatic traditionalism: the socio-economic systems researched, tested and adopted should allow launching NTFP production into dynamic market integration. The production and distribution system needs to be studied and elaborated case by case for each NTFP.

Certain actions need to be taken to pave the way for such production such as continuing conservation efforts, amelioration of prevailing living conditions of rural communities, improvement of the quality and promotion of existing products and support of enterprises and industries that produce NTFPs. These actions and future development should be undertaken by coalitions of experts, including representatives from local communities, non-governmental and governmental organisations, which will follow a multidisciplinary approach to the issue. Only a holistic, interdisciplinary approach could bring success to any commercialisation attempt for NTFPs. In this way gatherers and producers will receive the maximum benefits form this commercialisation and show positive attitudes, or even participate, in existing environmental conservation efforts. The guiding element of the approach should be the fact that the development of NTFPs constitutes activities that can be easily compatible with forest ecosystems in equilibrium. Whenever necessary the pertinent studies and management guidelines should be applied.

The actual production of NTFPs that takes place in Mediterranean forests is much less than their production potential. The following table gives an overview of the actual production for selected NTFPs compared with the potential production in tones per year:

NTFP	Actual Production	Potential Production
	(tones/year)	(tones/year)
cork	3750000	9135000
sylvo-pastoral	2021684	6458081
wild fauna	1211527	3873632
medicinal & aromatic plants	4546965	14528120
mushrooms	757827	2420967

Another indicator is the NTFP production potential in terms of monetary units coming from Mediterranean forests. The compilation of information in the following table is based on data from Algeria, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia.

NTFP	$US per hectare
cork	264600
sylvo-pastoral	560280
wild fauna	403200
medicinal & aromatic plants	252000
honey	1915200
mushrooms	1764000

There is need for comprehensive statistical data on production and trade of NTFPs for an accurate estimation of their true socio-economic contribution to sustainable development. Accurate information will assist the elaboration of appropriate policies for NTFP production and promotion. Such policies, if accepted by senior decision makers will lead to a more equitable access to NTFP resources and to a fair distribution of benefits obtained by local communities.

So far, there are many factors that have hindered the commercial development of NTFPs, the principal ones being:

· the predominant bias against the quality of non-domesticated resources and the positive predisposition of agricultural professionals towards products that need higher technological input and complicated processing
· the lack of appreciation for the economic potential of NTFPs
· ignorance of the importance of NTFPs to rural societies
· substitution of many natural substances by synthetics
· a general lack of knowledge on NTFPs

There are many reasons behind these hindering factors. The fact that NTFPs are used locally for subsistence or rural markets, has resulted to exclusion of NTFP related information in official statistics. The division of official governmental agencies between forestry and agriculture creates some practical inconvenience for the consideration of NTFP commodities that fall within a grey production area for many experts. Finally, the mainstream forestry view that the value of forest resources clearly reflects their timber production capacity, has resulted in only incidental and fragmented consideration of NTFPs.

However, emerging positive attitudes shall help to revert past biases. These attitudes can be summarised as follows:

· deteriorating socio-economic conditions in the southern and eastern Mediterranean demand reliance of subsistence to local natural resources.
· increasing awareness regarding the positive role of NTFPs in socio-economic development and natural conservation
· green consumerism, which creates the demand for natural products and an increasing demand for «ethnic» products by immigrants
· increasing awareness and demands for new biochemicals and pharmaceuticals

The most important positive trend is the fact that among the three groups involved in NTFP production and consumption (rural populations, traders and urban consumers) the numbers of traders and urban consumers is increasing.

Trade direction for Major Mediterranean NTFPs

Product	Main Origin	Main markets	Total world Value (US$ million)
Natural Honey	Mediterranean Countries: Turkey Non Mediterranean Countries: Former USSR, China, USA, Mexico	Germany, USA, UK, Japan	268,2
Mushrooms and Truffle			210,7
Nuts (in the Mediterranean: pine nuts; Corylus colurna, C. avellana,chestnuts, Juglans regia, Pistacia vera, etc)			593,1 (worldwide figure)
Plants used by thr Pharmaceutical Industry	Mediterranean Countries: Albania, Turkey, Greece, Egypt Non Med Countries: China, R. of Korea, India, Chile, Argentina, Zaire, Poland, former Czechoslovakia		689,9
Essential oils	Mediterranean Countries: Non Mediterranean Countries: China, India, Indonesia, Brazil		312,5
Cork and cork products	Only Mediterranean Countries: Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia, France		328,8

In addition to tangible, measurable socio-economic benefits from enhancement of NTFP production, it is important to consider the fact that NTFPs have cultural and religious significance to many rural societies. Preservation of forest management methods will not only preserve environmental and socio-economic integrity but will also permit cultural continuity.

Example: The Mediterranean NTFP project / network of WWF MedPO - an integrated approach

WWF's global targets for forest conservation include the increase of protected forest areas and of areas under environmentally sound forest management, outside protected areas. The second target is expressed as independent certification of well managed forests, and has been so far concentrated on the certification of timber produced in well managed forests. The application of the two well-divided targets meets complications if it is to relate to the situation of Mediterranean forests.

In the Mediterranean, biodiversity conservation depends directly on the continuation of traditional management that is compatible with nature protection. Thus, the establishment of forest protected areas in the region should honour traditional management methods15. At the same time, the management which has been applied for centuries throughout the forests in the region, is multi-use and, most of the times, timber production is not its predominant aspect. Thus, any effort targeting sound forest management in the Mediterranean cannot be based exclusively on timber certification, but has to be multidimensional, reflecting the multi-use aspect of Mediterranean forests. The WWF strategic approach to sound forest management expressed through FSC timber certification can be applied directly to the situation of boreal and tropical forests, rather than Mediterranean forests.

In many cases the production of NTFPs has been the expression of the multi-use Mediterranean forest management. If certification through FSC guidelines offers a strong vehicle leading to sound forest management for timber production, then it is important to investigate the incorporation of guidelines for NTFP certification in the FSC criteria.

Assessments of the ecological and socio-economic role of NTFPs in forest conservation have always challenged WWF, which has addressed in the past the role of NTFPs in conservation and rural development16. Especially in the Mediterranean, any serious forest conservation investment of the Organisation has to investigate the role of NTFPs, both in natural systems and the socio-economic welfare of rural communities.

WWF's Mediterranean Programme has implemented projects in important forest ecosystems17 of the region by building partnerships with a number of environmental groups and institutions. Pursuing an integrated approach, WWF MedPO has initiated a project titled «Towards a Network for the Sustainable Use of NTFPs in the Mediterranean Region». The project targets the conservation of important forest areas in the Mediterranean and the promotion of rural community economic development by the sustainable production-management of NTFPs. In particular, the project intends to develop a common network identity, increase the technical knowledge regarding the role of particular NTFPs in forest conservation, promote relevant awareness and build capacity of human resources to manage NTFP production.

In January 1998, WWF organised a project start-up workshop in Mértola, Portugal. The workshop was the initial step for the establishment of the network. Participants in the workshop presented cases studies on the status of NTFPs in the Mediterranean region and other parts of the world as well as marketing and certification initiatives for NTFP promotion and production. During the workshop the framework was set for the development of pilot projects throughout the Mediterranean.

Currently, seven pilot areas are included or have expressed their interest in joining the network:

1. The forest region around Feija National Park, (Jendouba, Tunisia)
2. The Guadiana Valley Natural Park, (Alentejo, Portugal)
3. The Argania spinosa sylvo-pastoral system, (Essaouira, Morocco)
4. The area around the Chouf Forest Protected Area, (Lebanon)
5. The Monte Arcosu Nature Reserve, (Sardinia, Italy)
6. The Tramuntana Mountain Range, (Mallorca, Spain)
7. The Parnon Mountain Range, (Peloponnese, Greece)

The main achievement of the workshop was the identification of objectives at the network and the local level and a set of actions that need to be taken as next steps for project development. Also three other initiatives exist that work to achieve forest resource conservation and that the NTFP initiative needs to connect with: FSC, People & Plants and TRAFFIC.

Commercialisation: drafting a successful approach

It is crucial to adopt marketing strategies that will help enterprises to survive and succeed in the market. Professional business planning is in need, as indicated by the experience of many small-scale enterprises that demonstrated plenty of will but practised inadequate planning and did not survive in the market. Statistics show that from all new enterprises that market NTFPs only 20% survive in the long run. Common characteristics of these successful enterprises include an able entrepreneur, sound selection of marketable products, a reliable supply of materials, good, operational infrastructure and access to credit.

The basic elements for successful planning in the NTFP market includes:

· Starting with products which are part of an already existing local market
· Improvement of harvesting techniques and reduction of post - harvest losses
· Increase of competitiveness of the product
· Adoption of a simple production / marketing strategy
· Starting initially with a single product which yields an assured and good revenue with diversification planning taking place at a later stage
· Market diversification for each NTFP
· Implementation of local value addition, which is usually achieved through local processing
· Assessment of quality standards required by consumers
· Continuous update on technological improvements at all levels of production
· Producer networking
· Effective demonstration of ecological soundness of the enterprise, the products and their production mode