Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) have been vitally important to forest-dwellers and rural communities for centuries. This publication is a product of the Food and Agriculture Organization's attention to this long-neglected area of forestry. It contains reports describing the status, management and importance of NWFPs in 11 Asian countries.

This book highlights the importance of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) and their crucial role in sustaining the livelihood of rural and indigenous communities in Asia. The authors depict how the preservation of forests and the associated major non-wood resources may provide an important avenue to reduce poverty. The local practices and knowledge on harvesting NWFPs are often rooted in tradition, and vary from one region to the other. This made it difficult to develop and establish research focus on a greater scale in the past. Readers of this volume will gain an often-missed, broader perspective from these new studies. The authors put a special emphasis on the nexus between conservation and livelihood from an Asian point of view. This addresses a knowledge gap in the current literature and offers important clues on conducting similar research around the world. The volume provides a useful reference guide for the relevant researchers, practitioners and policy makers.

This book provides a cross-section of all outstanding experience in all fields of tropical forestry under a drastically changing environment induced by climate change. It sheds light on the existing know-how and presents it in a concise and efficient way for the scientist and professional in charge of planning, implementing and evaluating forest resources. The Tropical Forestry Handbook provides proven and/or promising alternative concepts which can be applied to solve organizational, administrative and technical challenges prevailing in the tropics. Presented are state of the art methods in all fields concerning tropical forestry. Emphasize is given to methods which are adapted to- and which safeguard - environmental conditions.