Extraction of non-timber forest products on South Nandi forest structure and its impacts on livelihoods of adjacent communities

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are forest-derived products other than commercial timber that significantly contribute socio-economically to rural livelihoods. With increasing population, it is expected that the level of NTFPs extraction will increase hence exert greater pressure on the forest ecosystems to the detriment of their ecological integrity. Though NTFPs offer good opportunities for improving livelihoods, the impact of their extraction and productivity levels per unit area for most NTFPs are not known. Further, there is inadequate information on NTFPs utilization by different gender groups living adjacent to the South Nandi forest to inform their sustainable management decisions. The objectives of the study were to: 1) determine the types of NTFPs extracted for subsistence or income generation; 2) quantify the NTFPs forest adjacent households extract by gender and its impact on forest structure in terms of population structure, regeneration status, and species composition; 3) estimate the economic value of the key NTFPs extracted from the forest, and 4) assess the socio-economic factors that influence households' dependence in South Nandi forest. A questionnaire that covered both quantitative and qualitative data from the sample populations and forests was used. The study covered a total of 431 household heads from 9 villages. These were interviewed using a stratified random sampling method from May to September 2016. Indirect opportunity cost, direct pricing, and cost of collection methods were used to estimate the economic value of NTFPs accruing to each household. Thirty-five nested-plots of size 600 m2 (30 m X 20 m) were used to collect vegetation data. The plants were categorized into three groups; seedlings, saplings, and mature based on DBH classes then the population structure and status of natural regeneration determined. A total of 128 plant species belonging to 105 genera and 55 families were cited from South Nandi Forest. Twenty-two types of NTFPs were determined in this study. The most common NTFP uses were firewood, grazing, and herbal medicine. In terms of gender, the collection of firewood is mostly done by the female, grazing by the male, whereas both male and female collect herbal medicine. The DBH class distributions showed five patterns. A classic inverse-J curve pattern occurs in a healthy forest with active regeneration and recruitment of new individuals. The other four patterns emerged due to removing trees in various DBH classes, which distorted the inverse-J curves suggesting a disturbance in the forest. Disturbance in the forest was also corroborated from the households' heads perception that NTFPs stock condition in the forest had reduced compared to ten years ago. The species with low Importance Value Index values and poor regeneration status should be prioritized for conservation. The economic value of all NTFPs extracted per hectare per year was US$824.15, whereas the value of NTFP extraction per household per year was US$579.51. NTFPs contributed 32.7% - 48.7% of households' incomes, indicating the forest's importance. The mean annual firewood extraction was 7285.4±1586.9kg per household. Twelve variables were significantly associated with dependence on the forest. These included distance to forest (χ2 (16, 431) = 51.235, p<0.001); membership in Community Forest Association (χ2 (1, 431) =9.481, p<0.05); and main occupation of household head (χ2 (4,431) =7.143, p<0.05). Years of formal education, land-size, and distance to the forest from home were positively correlated to dependence on the forest, whereas age, occupation, and distance to market negatively correlated with dependence on the forest. This study provides information that is extremely useful for the development of sustainable management of South Nandi Forest to enhance local incomes and livelihoods. Further research is required in studies that integrate socio-economic and ecological information to understand better ecological problems associated with human use.