Company–community non-timber forest product deals in the Brazilian Amazon: A review of opportunities and problems

Company–community partnerships represent a new forestry mechanism prompted by increased devolution of forest control and growing demand for socio-environmentally responsible products. In the Brazilian Amazon, general economic and cultural trends, combined with the appeal of the rainforests and its peoples, have led to the growing implementation of partnerships for non-timber forest products (NTFP) trade. However, despite the fanfare some companies have given these partnerships, evidence suggests that their impacts on communities, companies and forests are mixed. Communities and forests are more likely to experience problems, especially in a context of weakening government power. The complexities involved in company–community deals call for a changed research focus, advancing new theories that consider community forestry as part of broader economic systems.