Background: High harvesting of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) for food and fodder supply leads many tree species to be vulnerable or endangered due to overexploitation. This study aimed to assess harvesting pressure on food and forage species and to understand how the socio-economic profile of people affects their perception on species state as well as on the impact of harvesting methods on species dynamics. Methods: Semi-structured ethnobotanical surveys were conducted near the active stakeholders involved in NTFPs harvesting - children, women, herders, and former actors (old persons 50 years old, both women and herders). Hundred and four (104) people from 4 ethnic groups were interviewed. We have calculated the overharvesting index (OI) based on three pressure parameters: Fidelity level of use (FL), Relative frequency of harvesting (FH) and Relative intensity of pruning (IP). The difference between respondent’s perceptions on species state was tested using logistic regression followed by analysis of variance of the model. Results: The overharvesting index (OI) showed that eight (8) species are overharvested of which the first three species are Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir (OI = 122.1%), Saba senegalensis (A. DC.) Pichon (OI = 100%) and Lannea microcarpa Engl. & K. Krause (OI= 97.4%). These overharvested species are generally exploited using destructive methods, especially branch pruning for leaves and/or fruits harvesting. Local people´s perception on species state was significantly influenced by the type of actors and their age (p

Harvesting methods Local perception NTFPs Overharvesting Stakeholders