Can non-timber forest products (NTFPs) contribute to the sustainable livelihoods of rural communities? Case study: Central Zagros, Iran

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can play important role in the sustainable use of forests and improving the livelihood of forest-dependent people. The present study was conducted in the Zemkan basin, Kermanshah Province, Iran with the aim of investigating the economic role and contribution of NTFPs in the lives of villagers. The statistical population included households of forest and forest outskirt dwelling villages. The research tool was a semi-structured questionnaire that was completed through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used for data analysis. The results showed that the average annual net income of households from different livelihood strategies is USD 1118. Agriculture is the most important strategy with average 41.9% of the total annual net income of each household. About 61.4% of the households get a part of annual income through NTFPs, which on average accounts for 14.4% of the households' net annual income. The most important non-timber products in these forests include livestock grazing, wild pistachio resin (Saqez), wild pistachio seed, oak seed, oak syrup (Shokeh Manna) and other NTFPs. Livestock grazing in the forest accounted for the highest frequency among NTFPs with 60.58%; However, the exploitation of Saqez, due to high price, by allocating 38.6% of the total net income, allocated the highest amount of income among types of NTFPs. Generally, the results confirm the impact of NTFPs on the economic income and livelihood of the households in the study area and show the necessity of implementing multipurpose and cooperative programs for the sustainable use of NTFPs, increasing the income of local communities and forest protection.

Can non-timber forest products (NTFPs) contribute to the sustainable livelihoods of rural communities? Case study: Central Zagros, Iran Keywords:

Agriculture , Livelihood strategy , Livestock grazing , Zemkan basin , Wild pistachio resin (Saqez)