English - HCV Resource Network

Conclusion: Although the people have access to alternatives, these alternatives are not available all year long is sufficient quantity to
replace hunted animals. Developing fishing or breeding would require resources that the villagers do not have for the moment. This
means that the forest is fundamental in meeting their protein needs: then this is a case of HCV (provided it is sustainable and does not
threaten other HCVs).
Table 4 - Identifying sustainable uses of the forest compatible with other HCVs
Village: XXX………………. Sub-Group: (based on table 1) 1
Resource from the forest (e.g. timber Ranking of importance of the forest in meeting this need (2 to 4), based
for housing material, spring water, etc) on table 2: 3
as in table 2
Timber for cash income
For how long has this resource being used by
the local community?
Recent uses of the forest compelled by market development and not bound by
traditional regulations may not be sustainable.
Uses that have existed for at least a generation have a chance to be sustainable,
unless there has been changes in availability and extraction levels (see next
questions)
Are these resources used in a sustainable
manner, i.e. do the villagers think that they
can continue to sustain present use/ harvest
level indefinitely?
Has there been a declining trend in the
availability of this resource during the last
5/10 years? (for example, hunted animals
getting more rare, timber sources more far
from the village…)
Is this change due to external parties, or to
the activities of the community itself (for
example increased levels of extraction,
conversion of the forest…)?
This resource has been the main source of their cash income since they arrived in
the village in the 1950s
If the answer is yes, and unless there are indications of the contrary from other
questions, then the resource use is probably sustainable. Always use the questions
below to confirm.
The villagers do not think that it is sustainable
If the resource availability is significantly declining because of the activities of the
communities themselves, and/or if they forecast its exhaustion, this may not be an
HCV, unless the communities express the will to change this trend.
The timber is getting rarer, the harvest intensity has increased over the last 5
years, partly because of outsiders, but also local people who participate in the
increased level of harvest. The local people think they cannot sustain this source of
income for more than 5-10 years at best.