BIOECONOMY based on non-timber forest products for development and forest conservation - untapped potential or false hope? A systematic review for the BRAZILIAN amazon

The continuing destruction of the Amazonian forest, the largest remaining tropical forest ecosystem, has massive social and environmental consequences for local populations, but also for the climate, global food security and biodiversity. With some 20% of the forest already lost and the Amazon region likely approaching a tipping point, the conservation of its forests is a burning issue. High expectations are vested in the sustainable use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as a means to reconcile conservation and development. Accordingly, hundreds of initiatives have been launched over the decades that rely on NTFPs. With the proliferation of the bioeconomy discourse in recent years, they have received a new impetus. But are these expectations justified and backed-up by facts? Based on a systematic literature review, this article assesses the state of knowledge on NTFPs as a basis for sustainable local development in the Brazilian Amazon. The analysis reveals that while the number of studies has been growing continuously, the knowledge base is rather patchy. Coverage is limited mostly to a few NTFPs with high commercial value. The literature mostly attests positive effects of NTFP use on forest conservation and contributions to meeting socio-cultural needs of local communities. By contrast, existing studies identify limitations in terms of local income generation and suggest to combine the use of NTFPs with the commercial management for timber and the sale of environmental services. In terms of biodiversity conservation, some studies also point to risks of initiatives that emphasize income generation and stress the importance of diversifying production. It is worrying, that empirical knowledge on the effects of such combined and diversified approaches is scarce. A research agenda is crucial to support the successful promotion of NTFP-based value chains in the Brazilian Amazon. This agenda should include a comprehensive analytical framework that enables robust evaluations of past and future interventions. A better understanding of the actual impacts of such initiatives is vital as evidence for proof of concept and for deploying them at scale.