Non-Timber Forest Products and the Cosmetic Industry: An Econometric Assessment of Contributions to Income in the Brazilian Amazon

Forests, Fields, and Pastures: Unequal Access to Brazil Nuts and Livelihood Strategies in an Extractive Reserve, Brazilian Amazon

This article examines access to an economically important forest product (Brazil nuts) and its relationship with livelihood strategies in the Cazumbá–Iracema Extractive Reserve (CIER), Acre, Brazil. The objective is twofold: (i) to clarify how social mechanisms regulating access to Brazil nuts operate and (ii) to analyse the relationship between differential access to Brazil nuts and livelihood diversification in terms of cash income. For this, we conducted 55 semi-structured interviews with household heads in three rubber tapper (seringueiro) communities. Our findings indicate that Brazil nuts are important to seringueiro livelihoods, although both access to Brazil nuts and livelihood strategies are highly variable between households and communities. Limited access to Brazil nuts is partly overcome through informal arrangements and investment in wage labour, swidden agriculture, and cattle raising, as part of highly diversified livelihood portfolios. However, restrictions to agriculture and cattle raising generate considerable tensions between many seringueiros and environmental managers. We highlight the importance of viewing livelihood diversification and adaptability as important components of the long-term viability of the extractive reserve model, particularly in the context of the growing uncertainties and risks associated with accelerating climate and socio-environmental change as well as amidst ongoing political dynamics in Brazil.

The Effects of Environmental Changes on Plant Species and Forest Dependent Communities in the Amazon Region

We review the consequences of environmental changes caused by human activities on forest products and forest-dependent communities in the Amazon region—the vast Amazonas River basin and the Guiana Shield in South America. We used the 2018 and 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and recent scientific studies to present evidence and hypotheses for changes in the ecosystem productivity and geographical distribution of plants species. We have identified species associated with highly employed forest products exhibiting reducing populations, mainly linked with deforestation and selective logging. Changes in species composition along with a decline of valuable species have been observed in the eastern, central, and southern regions of the Brazilian Amazon, suggesting accelerated biodiversity loss. Over 1 billion native trees and palms are being lost every two years, causing economic losses estimated between US$1–17 billion. A decrease in native plant species can be abrupt and both temporary or persistent for over 20 years, leading to reduced economic opportunities for forest-dependent communities. Science and technology investments are considered promising in implementing agroforestry systems recovering deforested and degraded lands, which could engage companies that use forest products due to supply chain advantages.