Mountain Communities’ Households Dependency on Provisioning Forest Ecosystem Services: The Case of Ukrainian Carpathians

Abstract

The concept of ecosystems services used as a model for linking the functioning of forest ecosystems and producing of services to of rural communities well-being in mountain areas. Understanding this link is considered as a critical component for a decision-making in forest management and planning rural territories development. The forests of Ukraine provide important provisioning ecosystem services in terms of wood and non-wood forest products. The collection of non-timber forest products traditionally provides income for rural communities and recreational activities for urban population. In the article, attention is given to the current status of rural communities’ dependence on provisioning forest ecosystem services, which are represented by collecting multiple timbers and non-timber forest products. The study field data are collected through a quantitative survey of households’ representatives which was based on the calculation of their total budget and the share of family income from the forest. Through focus groups survey the information was collected about provisioning services which are most important for local communities (timber products, food products, other forage from the forest, etc.). In terms of non-wood forest products, the most prominent are wild berries, mushrooms, and birch sap. The challenges which mountain communities are facing because of their dependence on provisioning forest services are also discussed.