IPS Staff Publications

Permanent URI for this community

http://172.16.30.46:4000/handle/789/14

This contains research and scholarship of IPS staff

Browse

Browsing IPS Staff Publications by Author "Abeygunawardena, Piyasena"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Changing role of non-timber forest products (NTFP) in rural household economy: the case of Sinharaja World Heritage site in Sri Lanka.
    (Springer-Verlag, 2003-11) Senaratne, Athula; Abeygunawardena, Piyasena; Jayatilake, Wijaya
    This paper examines the modified patterns of utilizing non-timber forest products (NTFP) and associated behavioral changes around tropical forest areas in the context of conservation-related objectives and other commercially driven objectives. Our study introduces a conceptual framework based on the household production theory and tests empirically the hypotheses drawn at Sinharaja World Heritage in Sri Lanka. The results show that conditions introduced by forest conservation programs and the spread of small-scale commercial tea cultivation are transforming the economy around Sinharaja. The process is an economically rational one where resident communities decide upon their actions based on the opportunity cost of time involved with NTFP in the absence of observable prices. Although the process, overall, has led to a decline in the role of NTFP in the household economy, its impact over different NTFP are not uniform, leaving sustained demand for certain NTFP. This situation calls for a multifaceted approach in forest management programs to address the various household needs fulfilled by NTFP-based activities.
© Please note that some items are only for restricted access and except for the titles they are not available for public viewing. If you click on a link to an item and you are asked to log in, that item is not for open access.