GUATEMALA'S NTFP HARVESTING INDUSTRY: IDENTIFYING STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS AND ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE MAYA BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have long been harvested in forested tropical regions for individual consumption as well as for commercial purposes. They contribute both to local livelihoods and sustainable forest management. The NTFP industry in northern Guatemala operates across the Maya Biosphere Reserve, within the concessions that constitute a large share of the land. Each concession has their own sustainable forest management plan, participating in the harvest of different products seasonally. In this study, the harvest of the ramon nut (Brosimum alicastrum) and the xate palm (Chameadorea oblongataare) will be examined in five different NTFP harvesting cooperatives. The objectives of this study are to provide a deeper understanding of the structure of NTFP harvesting regimes by examining the types of roles, i.e. activities or positions, that exist in NTFP harvesting, who holds which roles, and how the roles may vary for different products and between different communities that participate in NTFP collection. The quantity and types of various roles associated with the NTFP harvesting process in participating communities and whether or not these roles change in accordance to demographic information (gender, age, income) were examined. Further comparative analyses allowed for the assessment of differences in operations across different NTFPs and/or harvesting locations. It was determined that there are two essential roles: Collector (i.e. harvester) and processor. These roles do not vary across the concessions, revealing a cohesive NTFP industry structure. Further analysis of these roles reveals that gender does impact the role that a participant will have, but age and income do not. Data on age and income present implications for long-term sustainability of the NTFP industry in the future. The concerns for long-term sustainability arise from the age demographic that participates in harvesting, the wages participants earn and how wages contribute to their income portfolios.