Evaluating the opportunities and limitations to multiple use of Brazil nuts and timber in Western Amazonia Amy E. Duchelle a,⇑ , Manuel R. Guariguata b , Giuliano Less c , Marco Antonio Albornoz b , Andrea Chavez d,e , Tadeu Melo f a Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil b Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia c Centro de Estudos da Cultura e do Meio Ambiente da Amazônia – Rioterra, Rôndonia, Brazil d University of Florida, Gainesville, USA e Universidad Nacional Amazónica de Madre de Dios, Peru f Universidade Federal do Acre, Brazil article info Article history: Available online 24 August 2011 Keywords: Multiple-use forest management Tropical forests Non-timber forest products Community forest management Stakeholder perceptions abstract Multiple-use forest management, which includes timber, non-timber forest products, and environmental services, is considered a promising tropical conservation and development strategy. In the tri-national frontier region of Madre de Dios (Peru), Acre (Brazil), and Pando (Bolivia) in Western Amazonia, we eval- uated perceptions of representatives from four stakeholder groups – communities, industries (Brazil nut and timber), non-governmental organizations, and government agencies – on integrated management of timber and Brazil nuts (from the tree species Bertholletia excelsa) at multiple scales. A strengths, weak- nesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis in combination with an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to accomplish this task. Overall, results showed distinct differences in perceptions among stakeholder groups both within and among countries in pursuing multiple-use forestry strategies. Although many stakeholder groups held positive perceptions about multiple use of Brazil nuts and tim- ber, several limitations were associated with implementation of this model. For instance, policy barriers and high management costs were considered the main weaknesses throughout the region. In Madre de Dios and Pando, logging damage to Brazil nut stands was the dominant threat, whereas in Acre, the main threat was reinvestment of forestry income into cattle. Our work shows that despite the high potential for and positive views of many stakeholders in pursuing integrated management of Brazil nut and timber, specific policy, economic, and technical limitations must first be addressed. To this end, we provide rec- ommendations for promoting this multi-use forestry model in the future. Ó 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Tropical forests have been a source of diverse products for cen- turies, yet the concept of multiple-use forest management, which includes timber, non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and environ- mental services, emerged into the international forestry agenda only in the 1990s as part of the sustainable forest management paradigm (Panayotou and Ashton, 1992; Poore, 2003). Moving be- yond timber-oriented approaches and managing for multiple goods and services has the potential to include different stakehold- ers as present and future beneficiaries (Kant, 2004) while promot- ing effective and equitable conservation. For example, there is evidence of long-term maintenance of tropical forest cover in lo- cally-managed, multiple-use forestry systems when compared with nearby protected areas (Ellis and Porter-Bolland, 2008). There are, however, a variety of factors that influence both the implementation and outcomes of multiple-use forestry in the tro- pics (García-Fernández et al., 2008). In relation to integrated NTFP- timber management, ecological factors such as seasonality of pro- duction, habitat type, and management practices can influence compatibility (Salick et al., 1995; Romero, 1999; Guariguata et al., 2009). Economic factors will also determine the attention that integrated management is given at local and national levels, including the financial returns of non-timber and timber produc- tion in relation to non-forest uses (Menton et al., 2009), opportuni- ties for product certification (Shanley et al., 2008), and price fluctuations of internationally-traded NTFPs (Pacheco et al., 2009). The success of multiple-use forestry as a whole also hinges on institutional factors, such as national and local forestry policies 0378-1127/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.05.023 ⇑ Corresponding author. Address: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Brazil Office, Rua do Russel 450/Sala 601, Bairro Gloria, CEP 22.210-010, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tel.: +55 21 2285 3341; fax: +55 21 2285 0447. E-mail address: a.duchelle@cgiar.org (A.E. Duchelle). Forest Ecology and Management 268 (2012) 39–48 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Forest Ecology and Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foreco