CERTIFICATION OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS IN THE MERCHANTABILITY VIEW OF EXTRACTIVE ASSOCIATIONS IN THE STATE OF ACRE

The certification granted by the Forest Stewardship Council is a management tool for the sustainable use of forest resources, considering social, economic and environmental aspects. The possible advantages include the ability to win new markets and add value to the products. The efforts in promoting the community certification for the development of rural populations as well as for forest conservation present many challenges, such as the lack of scientific studies that address traditional knowledge. Given the experience of the Associacoes dos Seringueiros Porto Dias and Associacao dos Moradores e Agroextrativistas do Remanso de Capixaba, both from the State of Acre, Brazil, the study herein assesses the manager’s perception regarding the market for Certified Non-Timber Forest Products, through structured interviews. In this sphere representing 100% of the certified families that were surveyed in both associations, it was found that 53% of the respondents considered the issues concerning the market as the most difficult aspect encountered to maintain certification, while 59% pointed to improvement in the marketing of its products as the main bottleneck to have access to the market. It was found that adding value and marketing the product with a competitive advantage are essential conditions for the Community Forest Certification as an incentive for the sustainable management of resources in the Amazon forest.

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