Local development based on non-timber forest products: Revisiting the case of São Francisco do Iratapuru in the Brazilian Amazon

The sustainable use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) promised to reconcile forest conservation and economic development. Particularly in the Brazilian Amazon, initiatives to promote development based on NTFPs have proliferated since the 1990s. Surprisingly, there is litte empirical evidence of the outcomes of these initiatives which comprehensively addresses all dimension of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) over time. To fill this gap, this article undertakes a longitudinal analysis of the case of São Francisco do Iratapuru, in the Eastern Amazon state of Amapá. The community has a long history of well-documented NTFP initiatives spanning several decades. Using information from former studies as well as own empirical data from interviews, a representative household survey and focus groups, we show that the quality of life in the village has improved markedly over the last decades while the forest has been conserved. We observed an increase in real income, a reduction in income inequality and better access of households to marketed as well as public goods and services, except eletricity. An examination of the results chains of initiatives in São Francisco do Iratapuru and the comparison with neighboring regions that have experienced other development approaches suggests that these achievements are largely attributable to NTFP-related interventions.