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

Belem et al.: Use of Non Wood Forest Products by local people bordering .......For the case of forest policy and legislation, thisarticle shed light in the complexity to apply forestlaws in local context. The results of our study suggestthat the old paradigm in forest classification(national park creation) need to be revisited.ConclusionThe bordering people depend on the park resourcesfor their daily needs but the sustainability of theplant parts extraction is questionable. Instead ofspecies conservation, local people's pressure/activitiescould contribute to destroy some plant species.This situation does not only constitute a threat forthe biodiversity, but also a threat for the survivalof the communities that depend on the resources.Nowadays, the park management doesn’t satisfy allthe stakeholders in particular the villagers who relyheavily on forest products from the park for theirdaily needs.Conciliating environment and development forachieving sustainability necessitates that administratorsof the park try to re-establish dialogue andconfidence with the local people by integrating theirpoints of view in the definition of the managementplan. Information and advice of the bordering populationson the protection of the park is fundamental.It would be necessary to train organized farmers totake on the management of the park in collaborationwith the forest service and Naturama.Further research in the park could be centred amongothers on: (a) the determination of the seasonalavailability of the NWFPs; (b) the identification ofthe preferences of social user groups (men, women,traditional healers, tradesmen…); (c) the determinationof sustainable extraction techniques of the plantproducts; (d) the development of simple techniquesof in-situ and ex-situ conservation (sowing, stemor root cutting…) of targeted species. Appendix 2containing the list of the plant species presents possiblemethods of dissemination of each species; theseresults could be the starting points of conservationstrategies development; (e) Botanical inventories todetermine the dynamic and the productivity of differentvegetation types in the park are to be carriedout periodically; these inventories might take intoaccount all plant life forms and not only ligneousplant species. Yield determination is a useful tool forconservation and valuation of NWFPs.Improved regulation of the park plant products use,improved harvest methods of NWFPs and domesticationof the useful plant species may be combinedfor sustainable management of the park in poorpeople context. Therefore the challenge is how tointegrate ecology, sylviculture, law, economy anddecentralisation in the park management process.The success of this process will depend on all actorsincluding policy makers, technicians, local people,researchers and funding agencies.AcknowledgmentsAuthors thank the General Director of The NationalTree Seed Centre of Burkina Faso, the PETREAprogram, the Regional Director of Environment ofZoundweogo, the Environment Service of Nobéré,the NGO Naturama through Pierre Kafando, coordinatorof PAGEN/Parc National Kaboré TambiProject for support and collaboration. Acknowledgementsgo to the many people of Nobéré andneighbouring villages for support during field work.Mr. Belem Daouda is acknowledged for his translationassistance.ReferencesAssemblée des Députés du Peuple (ADP). (1997): Code Forestierdu Burkina Faso, 55p. Disponible sur http://www.environnement.gov.bf/textes/code-forestier.html.Arbonnier, M. (2000): Arbres, arbustes et lianes des zonessèches d’Afrique de l’Ouest, 2ème édition, CIRAD, MNHN,UICN.Aubreville, A. (1957): Accord à Yangambi sur la nomenclaturedes types africains de végétation. Revue Bois et Forêts destropiques, N°51. 23-27.Aubreville, A. (1963): Classification des formes biologiques desplantes vasculaires en milieu tropical. Adansonia (III) 2:221-225.Belem, B. (2000): Une évaluation ethnobotanique quantitativede l’importance des plantes locales utilisées par les populationsde la zone sahelo-soudanienne du Burkina Faso. Etude decas dans la province du Sanmatenga. Thèse M.Sc. Royal& Agric. Univ. (KVL) Denmark.Berhaut, J. (1967): Flore du Sénégal. 2è éd. Ed. Clair Afrique,Dakar.16