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N. Stryamets et al. 2010. Role of non-wood forest products for sustainable development of rural communities
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Role of non-wood forest products for sustainable development of rural
communities in countries with a transition: Ukraine as a case study
N. Stryamets 1* , M. Elbakidze 2,3 , P. Angelstam 2 & R. Axelsson 2
1 Ukrainian National Forestry University, Ukraine
2 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
3 Ivan Franko National University, Ukraine
Abstract
Sustainable use of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) is a component of sustainable forest
management. NWFPs provide important use and non-use values to stakeholders in rural
landscapes. The aim of this study was to analyse the policies with relevance for NWFP in order
to define the potential contribution of these forest resources to rural development in countries in
transition from socialistic planned to market economy, like Ukraine. We analysed national and
international policy documents, national and regional management regulations concerning the
use of NWFPs and reviewed relevant literature. We concluded that there were a need to
investigate the role of NWFP in countries with different economic and social-cultural conditions
and systems of governance of natural resources.
Keywords: non-wood forest products, sustainable forest management, countries in transition,
Ukraine
1. Introduction
Globally forests provide wood resources and a large variety of non-wood goods as a resource
base for livelihoods and development. Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) are defined as goods
of biological origin other than wood, derived from forests, other wooded land and trees outside
forests (Chandrasekharan 1995). Use of NWFPs has a long history as an important component
of the livelihoods of people living in and in the vicinity of forest and woodland landscapes.
NWFPs were, in fact, one of the first sources of food, medicine, fibre, and other substances that
have sustained local communities since the first human settlements (Ryabchuk 1996, Bradley
and Bennett 2002). Estimates indicate that 80% of the population in developing countries in the
world use NWFPs to meet some of their nutritional needs (Janse and Ottitsch 2005). In addition
to food forests also provide herbal medicine which is vital to poor people that are not a part of a
national healthcare system (Chandrasekharan 1995, Bradley and Bennett 2002; Ryabchuk 1996;
Malyk 2006).
NWFPs have attracted considerable interest as an important component of sustainable forest
management (SFM) policies (Elbakidze et al 2007, Elbakidze and Angelstam 2007, MCPFE
1993, Siry et al 2005), and in different implementation initiatives and projects towards
sustainable management of forest landscapes in many countries (Varma et al 2000). There have
been many efforts to complement industrial timber production with an aim to increase the
multiple values of forests for users, owners and local communities that depend on them.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +380979603016
Email address: Natalie.Stryamets@smsk.slu.se
Forest Landscapes and Global Change-New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology
Working Group International Conference, September 21-27, 2010, Bragança, Portugal. J.C. Azevedo, M. Feliciano, J. Castro & M.A. Pinto (eds.)
2010, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.