Artisanal Non-Timber Forest Products in Darien Province, Panama: The Importance of Context

Abstract

"Non-timber forest products (NTFP) have been frequently studied as a means to conserve forests and provide income to users communities. Studies on NTFP have often been restricted to a single species, year and human community. However, a number of recent studies are challenging these simplifications. Here, we examine a suite of artisanal NTFP that are of increasing economic importance to Wounaan and Embera households in Panama. Artisans make carvings from seeds of a tagua palm (Phytelephas seemannii) and the wood of a cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), and weave baskets from the fibres of the chunga palm (Astrocaryum standleyanum). We studied the ecology and socio-economics of these resources between 1997."