The key non-timber forest products of Central Africa: State of the knowledge

Abstract

The management of forest lands is complex, and never more so than when considering many competing and noncomplementary uses for the same area of forest. The forests of Central Africa exemplify this complexity. Here, forest-dwelling people living traditional lifestyles encounter Europe- or Asia-based logging companies that have leased the right to harvest timber on land used by local people but belonging statutorily to an often distant central government. The many services provided by the forests themselves -- including timber, water, game, food, medicine, and watershed properties for streams, rivers, and fishing -- all require different sets of choices for managing the human, animal, and plant populations of this vast area.