Local development based on non-timber forest products

Revisiting the case of São Francisco do Iratapuru in the Brazilian Amazon

Bibliographic Data

ID21583676
AuthorsTomas Rosenfeld (0000-0001-9659-2511, University of Freiburg, corresponding author), Benno Pokorny (0000-0001-6421-8226, University of Freiburg), Jacques Marcovitch (0000-0002-6148-7735, Universidade de São Paulo), Peter Poschen (0000-0002-0055-9619, University of Freiburg)
Year2026
Volume242
Pages108894
Publication date2026-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEcological Economics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0921-8009 • E-ISSN: 1873-6106
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108894
OpenAlexW4417451567
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited24

The sustainable use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) promised to reconcile forest conservation and economic development. Particularly in the Brazilian Amazon, initiatives to promote development based on NTFPs have proliferated since the 1990s. Surprisingly, there is litte empirical evidence of the outcomes of these initiatives which comprehensively addresses all dimension of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) over time. To fill this gap, this article undertakes a longitudinal analysis of the case of São Francisco do Iratapuru , in the Eastern Amazon state of Amapá. The community has a long history of well-documented NTFP initiatives spanning several decades. Using information from former studies as well as own empirical data from interviews, a representative household survey and focus groups, we show that the quality of life in the village has improved markedly over the last decades while the forest has been conserved. We observed an increase in real income, a reduction in income inequality and better access of households to marketed as well as public goods and services, except eletricity. An examination of the results chains of initiatives in São Francisco do Iratapuru and the comparison with neighboring regions that have experienced other development approaches suggests that these achievements are largely attributable to NTFP-related interventions

Amazon rainforest · Community forestry · Inequality · Local community · Local Development · Public good · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Forest Management and Policy

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