Chapter 3: Middle and South America
Article: “Non-Timber Forest Products in Peruvian Amazonia: Changing Patterns of Economic Exploitation”
by James W. Penn, Jr.
Vol. 51, No. 2, Fall 2008, pp. 18-25
Chapter themes reflected in the article: cultural and physical diversity, production of raw materials, rural to urban migration
Non-timber forest products (NFTPs) are important for societies all over the world and consist of foods, fuel, fibers, thatch, construction materials, latex, resin, gums, medicines, dyes, hallucinogens, and a plethora of other plant materials that come from forest ecosystems. That people living near these resources may be dependent on them is not surprising. What makes these products unique is that people living in or near the forests are holders of the main body of knowledge concerning their use (Nuemann and Hirsch 2000). Non-timber forest resources from Amazonia have provided economic benefits to people across the globe for centuries; we need look no further than the chocolate and rubber industries to recognize this. These resources continue to be important today, especially to residents of Amazonian countries.
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