Human Health and Cultural Values of Forests

WWI’s program on Human Health and Cultural Values of Forests aims to make visible the critical role that forests play in supporting health and food security for both rural and urban populations, and to promote the integration of local knowledge and cultural practices into forest conservation and multi-use management strategies. To do so, we:

  • Generate demand-driven research on the use of forest products to meet human health and nutritional needs, particularly among forest reliant communities, and analyze the implications for health and food security of deforestation and/or unsustainable extraction of key species.

  • Create innovative publications, educational materials, and programs to integrate local knowledge and cultural practices related to the management, harvesting, and use of forest products with scientific data and findings, and make these available to rural and urban communities and other key stakeholders in an accessible manner.

  • Engage with government agencies, forestry training programs, social movement organizations, and multilateral initiatives to promote policies and practices that prioritize the conservation and multi-use management of forests to sustain public health and well-being.

Context and Rationale

Venerated throughout much of human history, forests provide essential goods such as food, medicine, tools, crafts, and shelter. Forests also provide a plethora of ecosystem services and support traditional practices that are integral to the cultural identities of forest peoples. In many regions, however, the loss or degradation of forests through commercial logging, land-use change, or fire poses threats to the livelihoods and well-being of the 5.8 billion rural and urban people, living in the global north and south, who use and trade forest goods. In some cases, the overharvesting of key species due to conflict of use and/or global market demand can have also have highly detrimental effects on forest communities which depend on those species for nutrition or medicine.

According to the United Nations, less than half of the global population is covered by essential health services. There is now an urgent need to make visible the direct links between forest conservation and multi-use management, on the one hand, and the basic health and nutritional needs of 30% of the world’s population living in and around forests, on the other. When forests are managed for a range of locally utilized products, rather than just timber, less biotic degradation occurs, and the well-being of forest communities is more secure.

Among forest-reliant peoples, there exists deep local knowledge about the ecology and management of forest ecosystems, and cultural identities are strongly tied to the wild goods which families collect from forests. In this context, WWI formulates research questions jointly with rural households who are directly impacted by land-use change, and studies are collaboratively carried out with local communities. Outputs integrate traditional and scientific knowledge and are disseminated in formats that are accessible to farmers, hunter-gatherers, and rural and urban users of forest products. These include illustrated books, posters, theater, radio, videos and participatory workshops. Findings are also shared with government agencies, forestry training programs, social movement organizations, and multilateral initiatives to promote policies and practices that link multi-use forest management to human health, food security, and cultural resilience.

Recent Projects

  • Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Environmental Services (IPBES): Since 2018, Dr. Patricia Shanley has served as one of 85 scientific experts globally to prepare the IPBES Assessment Report on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species, published in July 2022. The report highlights the risks posed by the global biodiversity crisis, documenting that about 50,000 wild species of plants and animals are used by billions of people worldwide. Sponsored by the UN Environmental Program (UNEP), IPBES functions as an independent intergovernmental body with a secretariat in Bonn, Germany.

  • Global Expert Panel on Forests and Human Health: This inter-disciplinary panel of 30 scientists is conducting a comprehensive global assessment of scientific information about the interactions between forests and human health. The assessment will inform international policy processes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Global Forest Expert Panel (GFEP) works in collaboration with the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) on behalf of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).

  • Changing Ecology, Use and Value of Forests along the Capim River, Eastern Amazonia: Ecological and socioeconomic research in the Brazilian Amazon documents the changes in livelihoods over 30 years as logging and subsequent fire have radically altered the structure and composition of the forest and the basis on which rural communities live. In the last two decades, ranching and oil palm plantations have become established on the periphery of the river villages. The case study represents a microcosm of local impacts caused by land use change and the choices and challenges facing rural communities globally.

  • The Value of Wild Species and Small Holder Food Systems: In collaboration with People and Plants International, WWI has collected, analyzed, and provided background information on wild foods and food systems for the State of the World’s Forests 2021, published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This includes case studies of small holder use of wild species, an outline for the report on “State of Wild Plant Use: A Rapid Review”, and a report on small holder food systems.

  • Forest Fruit Trees and Useful Plants in Amazonian Lives: Collaboration with the former Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, and the Brazilian National Agricultural Research Institute (Embrapa) led to the publication of a book synthesizing science and traditional knowledge with 90 Brazilian scientists, focusing on 35 Amazonian tree species of vital importance to rural and urban livelihoods. An international award from the World Bank for Outstanding Communications led to the United Nations translating the book to English so it can serve as a template for other researchers seeking to synthesize and share science with rural communities.

Select Publications

  • Laird, S., Shanley, P., Pierce, A., López, C., Muir, G. & de Beer, J. (2022) “Strengthening Sustainable Food Systems: Providing nutritious, biodiverse food and income from wild species and smallholder food systems.” People and Plants International for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.

  • Shanley, P. & Pierce, A. (2020). “Forestry and Community Livelihoods: Issues of access and equity.” In: D. Kotte, W.S. Shin, Q. Li, M.C. Hansen (eds.) The International Handbook of Forest Therapy. Cambridge Scholars.

  • IPBES. (2019). “Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services” (Version 1). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6417333

  • Shanley, P., Höhn, I., Murilo, S. & Hannelore H. (2019) "Receitas Sem Palavras. Plantas Medicinais da Amazônia." 2º edição. Woods & Wayside International, People and Plants International. Download PDF.

  • Shanley, P., Höhn, I., Murilo, S. & Hannelore H. (2019) “Recipes Without Words. Nutritious and Healing Plants of Amazonia.” 2nd Edition. Woods & Wayside International, People and Plants International. Download PDF.

  • Shanley, P., da Silva, C., MacDonald, T. & Serra, M. (2019) “Women in the Wake: Expanding the legacy of Chico Mendes in Brazil’s environmental movement.” Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento: Special Issue. Download PDF.

  • Shanley, P., Clement, C.R., de Carvallo, J.E.U., Homma, A.K.O., & de Menezes, A.J. (2016) “Nutritional Diversity and Amazonian Fruits.” In B. Sthapit, H.A.H Lamers, V. Ramanatha Rao & A. Bailey (eds) Tropical Tree Fruit Diversity: Good practices for in situ and on-farm conservation. Earthscan, Routledge, UK. Download PDF.

  • Shanley, P., Pierce, A., Laird, S., Lopez, C. & Guariguata, M. (2016) “From Lifelines to Livelihoods: Non-Timber Forest Products into the 21st Century” in L. Pancel & M. Köhl (eds) Tropical Forestry Handbook. Springer, Netherlands. Download PDF.

  • Shackleton, C., Delang, C.O., Shackleton, S. & Shanley, P. (2011) “Non-Timber Forest Products: Concepts and Definitions.” In: S. Shackleton, C. Shackelton & P. Shanley (eds) Non-Timber Forest Products in the Global Context. Springer-Verlag, Amsterdam. pp. 255-280.

  • Shackleton, C., Shackleton, S. & Shanley, P. (2011) “Building a Holistic Picture: an Integrative Analysis of Current and Future Prospects for Non-timber Forest Products in a Changing World.” In: S. Shackleton, C. Shackelton & P. Shanley (eds) Non-Timber Forest Products in the Global Context. Springer-Verlag, Amsterdam. Pp. 255-280.

  • Shackleton, S., Shackleton, C. & Shanley, P. (eds) (2011) “Non-Timber Forest Products in the Global Context.” Springer-Verlag, Amsterdam.

  • Shanley, P. (1999) “To market, to market.” Natural History, 10. Download PDF.

  • Shanley, P., Cymerys, M., Medina, G. & Serra, M. (eds.) (2011) “Fruit Trees and Useful Plants in Amazonian Lives.” Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), CIFOR and People and Plants International, Rome, Italy. Download PDF.

  • Shanley, P. da Silva, F. C. & MacDonald, T. (2011) “Brazil’s Social Movement, Women and Forests: a Case Study of the National Council of Rubber Tappers.” International Forestry Review, vol. 13. Download PDF.

  • Shanley, P., Serra, M., Melo, T., Carmenta, R. & Nasi, R. (2011) “From conflict of use to multiple use: forest management innovations by small holders in Amazonian logging frontiers.” Forest Ecology and Management, 268, 70-80. Download PDF.

  • Sills, E., Shanley, P., Paumgarten, F., de Beer, J. & Pierce, A. (2011) “Evolving Perspectives on Non-timber Forest Products.” In S. Shackleton, C. Shackelton & P. Shanley (eds) Non-Timber Forest Products in the Global Context. Springer-Verlag, Amsterdam.

  • Shanley, P. & Medina, G. (eds.) (2010) “Frutíferas e Plantas Úteis na Vida Amazônica.” Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), CIFOR and People and Plants International, Rome, Italy. Download PDF.