Resource information
This regional study presents an overview of the socio-economic importance and ecological impact of the use of non-wood forest products (NWFP) in Africa. The document consists of two main parts: i) presentation of background information on the programme activities and analysis of the available information on the regional and sub-regional level (both in English and in French); and ii) presentation of data on NWFP on the national level (so-called “country profiles”, available in either English or French). The country profiles were originally compiled to be made available on the FAO homepage. However, taking into consideration the limited access to the Internet in various countries, it has been decided to publish, in addition, a hardcopy version of the country profiles and to add a regional and sub-regional analysis of the data. Most of the data presented in this report are indicative figures, which have been collected in published and unpublished reports, and therefore do not represent official statistics. The results presented show that qualitative and quantitative information on NWFP on the national level is still weak. It is hoped that this report will support the on-going process of data improvement on NWFP. Improved data is considered to be essential to ensure that the use and importance of NWFP is adequately taken into consideration by decision-makers, land-use planners, politicians, or other concerned experts. Additional information and comments from readers to improve data on NWFP in African countries would be very much appreciated.
