Use of Non Wood Forest Products by local people bordering the ...

Belem et al.: Use of Non Wood Forest Products by local people bordering .......carpus and Vitellaria paradoxa. One can argue thatthe current conservation measures undertaken byNaturama allow the regeneration of the plant species.But good regeneration may not be common forall the park vegetation units because we only workedin plots where plant collection takes place.For some important species like Adansonia digitata,Saba senegalensis, Vitex doniana, Paullinia pinnataand Sarcocephalus latifolius, regeneration isscarce. For these species, limiting plant harvestingcombined with in-situ conservation through eitherstimulation of the natural regeneration of the plantspecies or by direct sowing of seeds collected frommother trees found in the park may deserve moreattention. Ex-situ conservation by creation of nurseriesto produce seedlings of the rare plant species(especially those that are frequently mentioned byfarmers) with subsequent plantation in fields and inorchards should deserve a particular attention.Picture 14.Bombax costatumin the park Picture:In the village vicinities, Bombax costatum individualsare quite old, suggesting a lack of regeneration.The species' low regeneration has been found to becaused by over harvesting its flowers, depriving thespecies with seeds to allow regeneration (Guinko,1984; Kristensen et al., 2004). Vegetative regenerationby coppicing which occurs naturally must beinduced artificially for in-situ conservation of thespecies.Picture 15. Flowers of Bombax costatum. Picture: BassirouBelem.Lessons learnedDespite these restrictions, the study shows howstrongly bordering households depend on the parkfor their daily needs for NWFPs. As the study revealsit, there are some conflicts between the administrationand the bordering people; the conflicts takingroot from the fact that the full integration of thesepeople in the park management is not yet a reality.The expansion of human populations around thepark will inevitably result in greater demands frompeople for agricultural land and for the resourcesthat the Park seeks to conserve. Thus, it seems thatconflict between the Park and the people whoselivelihoods depend on park's resources will intensify.Conflicts create resistances (Gausset et al., 2003) andlead to local problems. Indeed, according to Chenet al. (2005), conflicts between biodiversity conservationand community development are caused byfactors including traditional perception of environment,illiteracy, poverty and weak social mechanismsof the local people. Poor households who struggle tomeet their basic needs may not respond to conservationprograms even if they are aware of the long-termbenefits associated with conservation (Shrestha etal., 2006). But as argued Leonard & Longbottom(2000), in land use system, conflicts can be a catalystfor change and bring practices up to date. It isan integral part of social dynamics because it caninstitutionalize certain social behaviour patterns bydemonstrating clearly the emergence of contradic-14