The importance of local forest benefits: Economic valuation of Non-Timber Forest Products in the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania M. Schaafsma a, *, S. Morse-Jones a,b , P. Posen a , R.D. Swetnam c,d , A. Balmford c , I.J. Bateman a , N.D. Burgess c,e,f , S.A.O. Chamshama g , B. Fisher a,h , T. Freeman i , V. Geofrey j , R.E. Green c,k , A.S. Hepelwa l , A. Herna ´ ndez-Sirvent m , S. Hess n , G.C. Kajembe g , G. Kayharara j , M. Kilonzo g , K. Kulindwa l,o , J.F. Lund p , S.S. Madoffe g , L. Mbwambo q , H. Meilby p , Y.M. Ngaga g , I. Theilade p , T. Treue p , P. van Beukering r , V.G. Vyamana g , R.K. Turner a a Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK b Environmental Markets, Fauna & Flora International, 14 Buckingham St, London, WC2N 6DF, UK c Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK d Department of Geography, Staffordshire University, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2DF, UK e Conservation Science Program, World Wildlife Fund, P.O. Box 97180, Washington DC, USA f Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark g Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), P.O. Box 3000, Morogoro, Tanzania h Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1013, USA i School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK j Centre for Environmental Economics and Development Research (CEDR), Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania k Conservation Science Department, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK l Department of Economics, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35096, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania m School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK n Hess Environmental Economic Analyst, Elzenlaan 17, 1214 KJ Hilversum, The Netherlands o Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Aas, Norway p Institute of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, DK-1958 Copenhagen, Denmark q Tanzania Forest Research Institute (TAFORI), P.O. Box 1854, Morogoro, Tanzania r Department of Environmental Economics, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Global Environmental Change 24 (2014) 295–305 A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 3 September 2012 Received in revised form 12 February 2013 Accepted 4 August 2013 Keywords: Non-Timber Forest Products Environmental valuation Benefit transfer Ecosystem services Forest conservation A B S T R A C T Understanding the spatial distribution of the quantity and economic value of Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) collection gives insight into the benefits that local communities obtain from forests, and can inform decisions about the selection of forested areas that are eligible for conservation and enforcement of regulations. In this paper we estimate transferable household production functions of NTFP extraction in the Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) in Tanzania, based on information from seven multi-site datasets related to the behaviour of over 2000 households. The study shows that the total benefit flow of charcoal, firewood, poles and thatch from the EAM to the local population has an estimated value of USD 42 million per year, and provides an important source of additional income for local communities, especially the poorest, who mainly depend on subsistence agriculture. The resulting map of economic values shows that benefits vary highly across space with population density, infrastructure and resource availability. We argue that if further restrictions on forest access to promote conservation are considered, this will require additional policies to prevent a consequent increase in poverty, and an enforced trade- off between conservation and energy supply to rural and urban households. Crown Copyright ß 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 01603 593224; fax: +44 01603 591327. E-mail address: m.schaafsma@uea.ac.uk (M. Schaafsma). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Global Environmental Change jo ur n al h o mep ag e: www .elsevier .co m /loc ate/g lo envc h a 0959-3780/$ – see front matter . Crown Copyright ß 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.08.018