Growing ‘The Wood of The Gods’: Agarwood Production in Southeast Asia - Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services - page 234

12.1 Introduction
In the intellectual discourse about deforestation, there is, since about two decades, a
strong plea for attention to the economic and social relevance of non-timber forests
products. It is argued that the sustainable exploitation of products like rattan, bush
meat, honey, medicinal plants and numerous other products, provides a viable alter-
native to the rapid and large scale commercial logging. This discussion was largely
stimulated by two provocative publications both published the same year (Peters
et al. 1989; De Beer and McDermott 1989). It is also argued that forests might
include a large number of potentially relevant plants and animals which are
undiscovered for their use in pharmaceutical and other products. Even though their
economic value might be difficult to calculate at this moment, numerous scientists
remind us that the economic potential of these resources should not be overlooked.
Even more difficult to value is the wealth of in-tact forest areas in terms of non-
utilitarian biological diversity and environmental services (Kusters and Belcher
2004).
Local populations depend to a large extent on non-timber forest products for
their food, medicine as well as cash income. For that reason socio-economic as well
as the cultural value of forest areas and biodiversity should not be neglected in the
economic appraisal of forest resources (Posey 1999).
Though this debate has generated a large body of interesting and sophisticated
science, it has contributed relatively little knowledge that persuaded decision mak-
ers to slow down the process of forest degradation in many tropical rainforest areas
(Dove 1993; Ros-Tonen 1999). In addition there is another interesting aspect to be
considered in relation to the economic value of non-timber forest products which
is related to the process of domestication of these products by small holders, and
which has implicitly undermined the potential value of forest areas. Through
manipulation, or domestication of the reproductive process of certain plants and
animals, the harvest of such products can be increased and can generate additional
income for the local communities (Wiersum 1999). Many development projects
are based on this pre-conception. However, in case income is really substantial
or market opportunities are really attractive, new groups of people might get
involved in the production of such products and transfer the production of such
plants and animal or animal products to other locations. In this process the real or
potential value of the forest resources are removed from their place of origin and
moved to new localities. The forest dwelling communities find themselves in an
unequal competition with these external producers. In other words, both economic
and social value is being removed from forest areas. This process seems to follow
the logic of market forces (supply driven by demand) and little in terms of protec-
tion of rights to genetic resources or intellectual property held by the forest dwell-
ing small holders. International conventions like the Convention on Biological
Diversity which also aims at the equitable access and benefit sharing of benefits
from genetic resources have not been able to provide sufficient guarantees for
forest dwelling communities.