Study On Certification Of Non-timber Forest Products Produced From The Undergrowth In Zhejiang Province

Development of the undergrowth-based economy in Zhejiang Province has a long history,but the certification of non-timber forest products(NTFPs)is still in its infancy.In order to promote the sustainable development and certification of NTFPs produced from undergrowth,this paper,based on collected data,made a comparison in NTFP certification between China and other countries.Meanwhile,an investigation was carried out on the production of undergrowth NTFP products in Zhejiang Province,based on which a comparison of what was got from the investigation and standards of some specific species for production was made against the certification standards issued by China Forest Certification Council(CFCC)to find out strengths and weakness existing in the production,followed by SWOT(Strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,and threats)analysis and corresponding suggestions from the point of view of certification.Taking Dendrobium Officinale production as an example,this paper also analyzed the effect of the Lacey Act on the international trade of certified undergrowth NTFPs and market-driven force for certification,based on which some suggestions were made.The main results found in the study are as follows:(1)The comparison in NTFP certification between China and foreign countries shows that the certified NTFPs abroad are mainly from Portugal,while the domestic certified NTFPs are mainly from Northeast China,but NTFP certification in the southern part has greatly developed.Domestic NTFP certification is mostly concentrated in the chain of custody(CoC)certification,while the certification of NTFPs produced from undergrowth is much less,which shows a broad market and prospects for certification.(2)Based on the investigation of 16 undergrowth species produced by 30 organizations in Hangzhou,Lishui,Jinhua,Ningbo and Quzhou of Zhejiang Province,it is found that Zhejiang Province is rich in various NTFPs and forest types such as pure plantations,secondary natural forest and mixed forest.There are various undergrowth planting modes,which are close-to-organic cultivation with no damage to the original forest ecological environment and have improved forest production through management of planted undergrowth species.There are a variety of organizational forms for production and management.The government supports undergrowth economic development,including undergrowth planting.Researchers from higher learning institutions and local forestry bureaus also actively participate in and technically support the production of undergrowth NTFPs.In addition,undergrowth planting has promoted the development of forest tourism,forest-based health industry and tourist products,and produced economically profitable NTFPs.Some undergrowth NTFP producers are economically strong and play a leading role,which would lead to a large radiation area and quicken the transformation of business modes in forestry to increase farmers' income.Therefore,Zhejiang Province has a broad prospect for the production of undergrowth NTFPs,which would be laying a solid foundation for the certification of NTFPs and shows broad prospects for the market of NTFP certification.However,Zhejiang Province also has some obstacles in carrying out the certification of NTFPs produced from undergrowth,which include those in overall planning,policy support to certification,popularization of certification knowledge,technical extension,talent training,standardization of production and management,development of a management plan,and delisting of for production.(3)For rare and endangered species,producers should do some work on international exchanges and delisting of rare and endangered species from internationally controlled trade,in addition to carrying out sustainable management and understanding the laws and regulations related to production and CoC,to actively develop the market driving force of certification,which would be good for opening up the international trade market for the production of these species.In summary,with the improvement of people's living conditions and increasing awareness of forest resources conservation and ecological construction,production of undergrowth NTFPs not only protects the original ecological environment and improves forest production,but also increases the income of farmers and promote rural economic development,which would laid a solid foundation for the certification of NTFPs.Certification market and prospects are broad,but there is still a long way to go and a lot of work needs to be conducted.