POTENTIAL OF NON-TIMNER FOREST PRODUCTS OF THE MAGO NATIONALPARKAS AN IMPLICATION FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, LIVELIHOOIMRROVEMENTAND SUSTAIABLE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES. THE CASE OF MAGO NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH, WEST, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

1. Introduction 1.1 Background and justification Forest ecosystems offer ample goods and services; timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) being the most common forest products. NTFPs have been studied by researchers from many different academic fields and each field used a slightly different definition of NTFPs. Non timber forest products (NTFPs) are, in broadest sense, any biological resources collected from wild by people for direct consumption or income generation on a small scale (Shackleton and Shackleton, 2004). NTFPs are any products other than timber that is produced in a forest (CIFOR, 2004). NTFPs include different types of food (wild edible mushrooms, fruits, and nuts), medicinal plants, floral greenery, horticultural stock, fiber and dye plants, lichens and fungi, oils, resins and other chemical extracts from plants, firewood and small-diameter wood used for poles, posts and carvings (McLain and Jones, 2005). NTFPs are an indispensable part of the livelihood strategy of communities living in and near forests. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) constitute an important source of livelihood for millions of people across the world. For centuries, people of the tropical rainforest have been collecting NTFPs either for their subsistence or in exchange for manufactured products and income generation (Pfund and Robinson, 2005). Nevertheless, NTFPs were for long overshadowed by timber products and has received increased policy and research attention only in the last few decades. This policy and research attention was based on three propositions (Arnold and Ruiz-Perez, 2001): The first was that NTFP contribute significantly to the livelihood and welfare for households living in and adjacent to forest. Secondly exploitation of NTFP has ecologically less destructive than timber harvesting and other forest uses, and the third point was that NTFP production and development by giving a foundation for sustainable economic development could reduce tropical deforestation. These propositions encouraged researchers to put much effort on the determination of monetary values of NTFPs as well as their contribution to overall livelihoods. Therefore, recently, there is a growing agreement that NTFPs play an important role in the livelihoods of rural poor as a source of food, medicine, construction materials and income. The interaction between forest and forest dwelling communities has received increasing attention from academicians and policy makers. Owing to the importance of NTFPs from 2 view point of community welfare and sustainable forest management, sustainable management of NTFPs is crucial for sustaining livelihood of rural poor. Ethiopia is one of the tropical countries endowed with rich biodiversity resources that have numerous NTFPs. The rich NTFPs of the country play substantial roles in food security and in poverty alleviation for a large number of communities in the country (Vivero, 2002). For instance, over 80% (approximately 60,000,000) of the population of Ethiopia depend on herbal/wild medicines for their primary health care and biomass-derived fuel for their energy (Demel and Mulugeta, 2005). However, like in other developing countries, the rationales for forest conservation and developments in Ethiopia have been primarily the production of fuelwood and environmental protection. The values and roles of NTFPs in general have been neglected at all times. Indeed, the capacity to promote sustainable NTFPs production and utilization and to facilitate increased financial benefits to local and national users as an incentive for forest conservation has been very low or nonexistent in the country. On the other hand, a closer assessment of the real socio-economic significance of the forest and woodland resources of the country clearly reveals their greater importance with regard to the supply of NTFPs. For instance, Ethiopia’s forest-products-related export materials were mainly NTFPs, such as gums, incense, spices, honey and wax (Mulugeta, 2006). Despite these significances, little information is available on management of the forest resources such as herbaceous plants, shrubs or trees for NTFPs. Only few studies have been conducted on the importance of NTFPs in Ethiopia from the lowlands, from the southwestern moist forest and eastern highlands (Mulugeta et al., 2003; Tadesse and Ararsa, 2004; Tsegaye et al., 2004). In mago national park there is little documented information regarding the diversity NTFPS contribution of NTFPs in particular to the livelihood of the local community and for sustainable natural resources of the park .The local communities the around park is essentially based on agriculture and animal husbandry the feed grass from park used as the, demand for fire wood from the park and also are also beekeepers who own hives in the park.Those area are responsible factors for deforestation park vegetation (tree bush,shrbus) ,loss biodiversity of the park and subsequent consequences such as soil erosion, soil degradation. To avoid or minimize deforestation related negative consequence of the park ,for sustainable use of natural resources and to diversify the livelihoods of rural households, NTFPs can be a right alternative that deserves investigation at the study area. Comprehensive study on the type of NTFPs found in Mago national park, their diversity and their improving 3 the livelihood of the local communities is lacking. Indeed, there is a need to study the NTFP resources and the roles they can play in improving the uses natural resources in sustainable way, which may be used as a strategy for the conservation of the biodiversity of forest park.Therefore, to exploit the multifaceted roles of NTFPs and to ensure NTFPs-based forest management, the diversity and socio-economic significances of the major NTFPs need to be explored. With this rationale, this study is initiated in Mago national park.