Brief Introduction on the Collection and Use of Non-Timber Forest Products in Nature Reserves in Yunnan, China

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He Pikun 1

Abstract

China is abundant in its non-timber forest products (NTFP) winch are of substantial economic value. It is an important resource for the livelihood and social development of people. NTFP resources am mainly embedded in the ecological system of the forest, especially in the well-preserved nature reserves. A good development and use of NTFP and a standardized management are of great significance in sustainable forestry development, protection of biodiversity and improvement of the livelihood of the people living in the mountainous area.

1. Concept

There are different views about the definition of NTFPs around the world. At the 'Expert Negotiation Conference on NTFPs' held in Bangkok in November 1991, FAO gave the definition as follows: all renewable products produced in the forest or on any land with similar functions (excluding timber, fuel wood, charcoal, stone materials, water and tourism resources). NTFPs are classified into:

(1) fibrous products: bamboo, rattan, fiber of stem or tree bark, fine hair;

(2) edible products:

food products of trees: such as root, stem, leaves, flowers, bamboo shoot, fruit, nut, oil seed, seasonings and mushroom; animal products, such as honey, fish, edible birds, eggs, insects, etc;

(3) medicines and cosmetics;

(4) abstracts from the plants: such as resin, rosin, tannin, dying materials, oil and fat, and perfume, etc;

(5) non-edible animals and their products: egg, animal, bird and insect, and hides, feet, teeth, bones and feathers of the animals.

Although there is no agreement internationally, we consider NTFPs as a variety of biological resources and their processed products, utilized by the people, which originate from the forest ecosystem; but excluding timber. As far as the origin is concerned, this definition is different from other definitions of NTFPs, it is in fact an extension and aggregation of the former definition. It can be generally divided into economic forest wide products, forest chemical products and other useful biological products. Since it is characterized with distribution, good variety, extensive application and special value and function, it is called at some places 'small forest products'.

2. Brief introduction of Nature Reserves in Yunnan

'Mere am in total 110 nature reserves in Yunnan, which are conserved for forestry resources, wildlife and wetlands. Eight of them m the national level, 44 provincial level and 58 prefectural/county level nature reserves. They add up to 2.189 million ha. Due to the geographical location and special climate in Yunnan, these nature reserves represent 90% of forest types from the north tropical zone to the cold zone. These nature reserves have the best preserved ecological system of the forest and richest biodiversity, as well as plentiful NTFP resources. As a forester we should take it seriously how to protect these resource bases, and how to develop and use these resources in the experimental and buffer zones of the nature reserves.

The Forest Conservation and Community Development Project (FCCDP) covers 4 prefectures, 10 counties and 6 nature reserves (2 national ones, the others are provincial) with the total area of 320000 ha. These 6 nature reserves play an important role in forest protection in Yunnan. They are classified as priorities in the Provincial Nature Reserve Plan. Rich NTFP resources can also be found in these nature reserves. The following NTFPs are commonly collected:

bamboo shoot mushroom and other fungi lichen medicinal herbs honey resin rosin lac rubber pine needle animal fodder: collected by man (e. g. grass for pig) animal fodder: (grass) eaten by the grazing animals vegetables or fruits nuts bees, bee larvae Page 2 of 4

orchid edible tuber hunting of unprotected animals fish

3. NTFP production and trade in the rural markets of FCCD Project area

According to RRA/PRA and their statistics implement by the project in 1998 - 2000, the collection of the main NTFPs in Simao) from 1995 - 1999 is given in table 1.

Table 1 - Collection volumes (ton) of main NTFPs in Simao Prefecture.

NTFP 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Resin 4916.5 4341 4477 3642 3392 Tannin 441 1533 1163 1147 185 Dried bamboo shoot 270.9 103.5 130.2 105.7 9.3 Edible tree fungi 1.2 0 1.1 2.2 3 Zanthoxylum bungeanum 1.2 1.0 4.8 6 4 Coffee 0 0 236 499.9 613 Chestnut 0.3 0.3 0 3.7 1 Pine seed 1.145 2.401 3.417 0 3.792

According to the PRA, we found the collection of other NTFPs and their values in some villages in and adjacent to Nuozhadu Nature Reserve, see table 2.

Table 2. location, and total volumes and values of NTFPs collected in Yandian, Sandenglaozhai, Damangjie and Xiaotian natural villages of Nuozhadu Nature Reserve. Figures are totals of all villages.

NTFP Place of collection Annual collection (kg) Annual revenue (RMB) Fungi In & outside NR 3510 24131 Forest vegetables In & outside NR 3669 Subsistence Animal fodder In & outside NR 103750 Subsistence Edible insect In & outside NR 409 Subsistence Honey In & outside NR 1410 11280 Wild fruit In & outside NR 10465 15698 Medicinal herbs In & outside NR 450 2230 Total In & outside NR 123663 533

Note: Not all the collected NTFPs can be sold. But the annual revenues are calculated assuring that they are all sold.

The types, collection time, price and sales of NTFP in the adjacent markets in Xiaoheishan Nature Reserve are indicated in table 3, based on an initial investigation.

Table 3: Types, collection period, price and sales of NTFPs in adjacent markets of Xiaoheishan Nature Reserve.

Type of plant Collection time Price (RMB per half a kg) Quantity and Sales location

Wild vegetable

Asparagus Spring 3 per bundle Spare, adjacent trading market

Coriander Spring, summer, autumn 3 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Mountain celery Spring, summer, autumn 1 Spare, adjacent trading market

Fem vegetable Spring, summer, autumn 1 After processing and drying, sold to other provinces, spare, adjacent trading market

Bamboo shoot Spring, summer, autumn 1-2 Spare, adjacent trading market

Fungi Page 3 of 4

Tricholoma matsutake summer > 100 No large amounts, sold to Japan summer, autumn 15 - 17 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Other mushroom summer, autumn 3 - 5 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Lentimus edodes summer 8 - 12 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Edible tree fungi summer, autumn 2 - 3 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Bolete summer, autumn 10 - 12 Several hundreds kilos, sold within/outside the province

Bee

Honeybee summer, autumn, winter 5 - 10 Sparse, adjacent trading market

'Yellow-waist bee' autumn 10 - 15 Sparse, adjacent trading market 'Hundred-feet bee' 10 - 15 Sparse, adjacent trading market

'Local bee' autumn 10 - 15 Sparse, adjacent trading market Wild fruit

Mountain plum autumn 1 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Birchleaf pear autumn 1 - 2 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Hawthorn autumn 1 - 2 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Red bayberry Summer 1 - 5 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Cherry Summer 1- 3 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Thorny elaeagnus Summer 1 - 3 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Loquat Summer, autumn 1 - 3 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Medicinal herbs

Hyacinth bletilla Autumn 5 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Fleece-flower root Autumn 5 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Ganoderma Autumn 5 Sparse, adjacent trading market

Dendrobium Autumn 5-120 Sold within/outside the province

Flower

Orchid Spring, Summer, Autumn > 5 yuan/one Sold within/outside the province

Wild camellia Summer 5 yuan/one Sparse adjacent trading market

Rhododendron Summer 5 yuan/one Sparse adjacent trading market

4. Local management measures and policies

The main income source for the villagers is to collect the non-timber forest products, whereas the plantation and collection of economic trees is encouraged by the local government. The villagers expect to make a for- tune as soon as possible. The regulations for NTFPs and economic areas vary at different study areas. The main contents are:

(1) The Yunnan Nature Reserve Management Regulations states: "logging, hunting, cultivation and other activities which are harmful to the wildlife and plants (...) is banned in the nature reserve. " (Item 10), and "on the condition that the natural resources are not destroyed, and under the guidance and arrangement of the nature reserve management institutions, the villagers in the nature reserve are allowed to carry out certain productive activities such as plantation and husbandry. " (Item 16).

Item 4 of Enforcement Details of Yunnan Provincial Forestry Law says: "The governments at different levels should further define the responsibilities for forestry production and management, and define the right, obligation and benefit of the owner and manager/user of the forest and forest land, to improve production, technical service and management. In order to develop forestry, a sound two-level management responsibility system should be established for the reserve mountain and the mountain contracted to the ,farm household. Fixed tenure of forest/mountains, and principles of willingness and mutual benefit are essential for the joint management in different forms. Plantation, protection and felling of the forest should be organized in an integrated way, proper division of the benefit from selling the timber should be ensured. The contract must be signed for the management of the "title mountain" according to the regulations. The forest management measures and the afforestation requirement should be defined. The right and obligation in the contract should be strictly enforced. "These regulations aim at protecting the legal rights and benefits of the villagers, and at gradually unifying the sustainable collection and management of forest resources.

(2) The local governments in this study encourage the villagers to develop economic forests which is included in the poverty alleviation plans. Each household is called to plant 1 - 3 mu 2 of economic forest (e. g. walnut, tung oil, rubber) . The seedlings and fetilisers are provided by the government as grants. The agricultural and forestry extension institutions provide the technical assistance. Page 4 of 4

(3) In the whole Yunnan Province a policy is effective to levy no taxes on the non-timber forest products which are collected or planted and sold in the market by the villagers. The middlemen however must pay die agricultural special product tax of 8.8% when he purchases the products such as bamboo shoot, edible fungus, mushroom, tung oil seed and fuel wood.

(4) In a certain place villagers are allowed to collect non-timber forest product (mushroom) in the state forest. The villagers can plant economic trees in the self-reserve mountain land and the products are at the villagers' disposal.

(5) The villagers are allowed to collect resin in the title mountain (owned by the commune, but contracted to the village households).

(6) In Simao prefecture of Yunnan the rubber can be collected by the villagers in the contracted rubber plantation (5 - 10 mu per household), but the agricultural/forest special product tax of 8.8% for one rubber tree should be paid by the villagers to the local taxation bureau. The middlemen will be charged 40 Yuan/ton as a management fee for the bamboo shoots he has bought, if the bamboo shoots are imported out of the production area. In addition, the agricultural/forest special product tax of 0.5 Yuan/kg (about 8.8%) needs to be paid.

(7) The government in Lancang county has formulated a regulation that the collection of bamboo shoot should only be done once every two years. A result of this regulation may be that the income of the villagers fluctuates greatly every year.

(8) In some places, the agricultural special product tax on the fruit trees is identified by the people from the Taxation Bureau when they visit the village. The tax per tree is fixed for three years. It seems however not so reasonable when the tax is not based on the actual harvest of the fruits. But it makes the management of the taxation bureau easier.

5. Impact of NTFP collection on resources and biodiversity and its management

Before the Nature Reserve Management Regulations were issued, the villagers were allowed to cut the trees freely in the nature reserve. Sometimes they let the trunk rot away so that mushrooms and edible fungus grow on it. In order to get the medicinal herbs, some villagers cut the Siberian solomonseal , which is in fact "to kill the hen to take the eggs out". The forest and biodiversity are badly affected in this way. In most of the hot area of Yunnan (where altitude is below 700 m) the rubber trees are planted vastly in monocultures. It is hard to find the Chinese pistache in Nujiang prefecture now, and the market price for this medicinal herb increases consequently. It is crucial to reserve the indigenous species of the natural environment.

Currently in Yunnan, the collection and use of non-timber forest products (except economic forest plantation and harvest) are not well -managed. Moreover, the rural markets are not unified so that the legal benefits of the villagers are not protected. It is urgently needed to take some management measures. The local governments have taken some measures to protect the biodiversity and the villagers' benefit. Examples are the formulation of regulations such as the "Forest Land Management Regulations of Yunnan" and "Yunnan Province Nature Reserve Management Regulations: Uniform Collection Methods", and the strengthening the law enforcement by the public security organizations. The nature reserve management institutions have strengthened the patrolling (over 3 times a month). To protect their own benefit, the people from outside villages are not allowed to collect the mushroom in the communal forest of the village, particularly in the harvest season (June - September). The rule to "collect bamboo shoots once every two years" has been adopted by Lancang county. In Dahuangtian natural village of Nalan Administrative Village in Simao city, the villagers have defined the different time and frequency for collecting the bamboo shoots of Dendrocalamus menbranaceus and black bamboo. All these rules and regulations have been integrated in the different village regulations at different places.

6. Conflict management in NTFP collection

As far as the nature reserves and adjacent communities in Yunnan is concerned, there is a lack of effective management regulations and standardized collection methods in collecting NTFPs. To reduce the conflict and enhance the legal rights and benefit of the villagers, the villagers in the adjacent area conscientiously organize themselves to patrol the forests, and formulate certain management regulations to standardize the collection of NTFPs.

There are rich NTFP resources in the nature reserves in Yunnan. To protect biodiversity and enhance the benefits of the villagers, it is necessary to allow the villagers to collect NTFPs in the experimental and buffer zone, and to stimulate the community to participate in the forest co-management meanwhile building awareness among the villagers. One important task for the nature reserve management is to jointly stipulate the co-management regulations and village regulations to standardize the collection, in this way also improving the management of NTFP collection.

1 FCCDP Kunming, Qingnian Lu 120, 650021, Kunming, P. R. China

2 1 ha = 15 mu