Socio-economic evaluations on gathering of non-wood forest products (the case of sütçüler forest di̇rectorate)

The aim of this study is to evaluate the collection of non-wood forest products from a socio-economic perspective in the case of Sütçüler district, Isparta province. In this context, the collectors of non-wood forest products, the companies and the technical staff of the Forestry Directorate were identified as the stakeholders of the study. Data were collected from these stakeholders using a survey method. According to the results of the study, the most important non-wood forest product in the Sütçüler region is Sütçüler (Tota) thyme. For the collectors, non-wood forest products are an additional income that contributes to the household income. Lack of knowledge about production techniques and unauthorised (illegal) collection are the main problems in terms of sustainable management of the species. For the company owners, the non-wood forest products collected in the region were found to be of low quality. Failure to use proper production techniques and mixing of other products during collection leads to a decrease in quality. According to the technical staff of the Directorate of Forest Management, low stumpage prices for the products and unauthorised collection are the main problems. The collection of non-wood forest products has been found to contribute to the regulation of forest-village relations. The impact of reducing village-urban migration and creating employment was considered low. The effect of supporting rural development is considered to be medium.