Global Patterns and Trends in the Use and Management of Commercial NTFPs: Implications for Livelihoods and Conservation BRIAN BELCHER Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia MANUEL RUI ´ Z-PE ´ REZ Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain and RAMADHANI ACHDIAWAN * Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia Summary. — Understanding of the role and potential of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) for live- lihood improvement and conservation has been hindered by a lack of a clear theoretical framework and a functional typology of cases. To help fill this gap, we did a comparative analysis of 61 cases of commercial NTFP production in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Cases were documented using a standardized set of descriptors organized into categories describing various aspects of the produc- tion-to-consumption system. Exploratory analysis yielded useful case groupings by (a) household eco- nomic strategy and (b) NTFP production strategy. These groups and their key characteristics are used as a basis for discussing the development and conservation implications of NTFPs. Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Key words — NTFP, global, comparative analysis, conservation, commercialization, livelihood strategies 1. INTRODUCTION Commercialization of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) has been promoted by researchers, conservation and development orga- nizations, and, more recently, by governments, as a means to achieve rural livelihood improve- ment in an environmentally sound way. There is now a large body of experience and related literature, but empirical work has been based primarily on case studies. Neumann and Hirsch (2000) provide an excellent review of the litera- ture. However, an improved understanding of the role and potential of NTFPs to contribute to livelihood improvement and conservation objectives has been hindered by a lack of a clear theoretical framework and a functional typol- ogy of cases. Ruiz-Pe ´rez and Byron (1999) pro- posed a method to analyze divergent NTFP * This paper is one product of a large collaboration over several years to which many people have contributed. First and foremost, we thank the authors for document- ing and sharing their insights on individual cases and on the overall comparative analysis. Sven Wunder, J.E.M. Arnold, Doug Sheil, Arild Angelsen, and two anony- mous reviewers provided valued help with detailed comments and suggestions on earlier versions of the paper. Jeff Sayer, Tony Cunningham, Ousseynou Ndoye, Bruce Campbell, Koen Kusters, Miguel Alexiades, Citlalli Lopez, Carmen Garcia, and Titin Suhartini all contributed to the project in various ways. The work was funded in large part by the UK Depart- ment for International Development (DFID) with addi- tional support from the European Commission (EC), WWF-UK, and CIFOR. Final revision accepted. October 25, 2004. World Development Vol. 33, No. 9, pp. 1435–1452, 2005 Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Printed in Great Britain 0305-750X/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.10.007 www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev 1435