Understanding corruption risks in the global trade in wild plants

Wild plants (often referred to as Non-Timber Forest Products, or NTFPs) are used as ingredients in thousands of products and are sourced from the wild all over the world. Ingredients are traded through complex supply chains, regulated both formally and through customary norms. A range of corruption types are documented throughout NTFP supply chains, including bribery, collusion, nepotism, and favoritism. However, corruption in NTFP supply chains remains an understudied subject. Three strategies are proposed to address the risks that corruption poses in the wild plant NTFPs trade sector: 1) improved resource governance, 2) increased use of appropriate voluntary certification standards, and 3) enhanced implementation of traceability approaches. Recommendations to natural resource management practitioners, businesses, government agencies, and voluntary certification standards owners include more in-depth assessment of current and potential corruption risks in NTFP supply chains and multi-stakeholder involvement in developing and implementing strategies to reduce them.