Plant viability: Modeling the impacts of harvesting non-timber forest products in a fragmented landscape

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a mathematical model to explore the impact of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) harvesting and fragmentation on the viability of plant populations, employing a meta-population framework. Our aim is to investigate how harvesting rates and patch connectivity influence harvest yield while ensuring population viability. Our findings indicate that sustainable harvesting rates can be explicitly determined for metapopulations composed of two patches, highlighting the influence of patch connectivity and dispersal rates on maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Notably, the MSY does not always increase with higher connectivity; instead, it may exhibit non-monotonic behavior depending on the dispersal rate. Additionally, under certain conditions, a suitable harvesting strategy may involve concentrating harvesting efforts on a single patch to ensure population regeneration. These insights underscore the importance of adaptable management strategies in the sustainable harvesting of NTFPs and the conservation of plant populations in fragmented habitats.