Making a bridge between livelihoods and forest conservation: Lessons from non timber forest products' utilization in South Sumatera, Indonesia

Promoting forest conservation as well as the well-being of forest proximate people requires an appropriate balance of regulation, enforcement, and incentives. When regulation and enforcement are minimal, economic incentives for low-intensity and non-deleterious forest use can provide conservation and livelihood benefits. One management option for promoting low intensity and non-deleterious forest use includes the harvest and production of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). This research identifies and examines strategies to promote sustainable livelihoods in a conservation landscape. We assess Pangkalan Bulian Village, Musi Banyuasin District, South Sumatra Province using the Community Livelihood Appraisal and Product Scanning (CLAPS) method to describe potential commodities and conduct value chain and market analyses on downstream sectors. Data collection included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and household surveys disseminated through snowball sampling. We find that rattan is a priority NTFP due to the presence of abundant raw materials, trained human resources, and potential markets. Actors involved along the value chain are collectors, local brokers, large collectors, small processors, large processors, retailers and end consumers. Profit margins earned along each link of the value chain are around 25%. Thus, we encourage rattan harvest and production as a low-intensity and non-deleterious forest use that can simultaneously benefit local livelihoods and forest conservation in a landscape where protected area rules and regulations are difficult to enforce.