Since time immemorial, non-wood forest products (NWFPs), particularly wild forest foods, have played an important role in the diets and health of people living in and outside forests, in both rural and urban areas. Some of these products, such as wild game, fruit, seeds, roots, nuts and fungi, are still used as a source of food, contributing to both food and nutritional security, while others are used for building materials or medicines, or support ancient customs and traditions. For forest dwellers especially – like the Bantou, Baka/Bandjéli and Bororos peoples in the Congo Basin – the concepts of food, medicine, health and wellbeing are all intertwined. Over time, the trade of NWFPs on local and international markets has grown to play a considerable role in generating income for all those involved in the value chains – not only those who gather them, but also those who process, transport, export or sell them.
