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This paper aims to enhance understanding about the influence of governance arrangements in non-timber forest product value chains on ecological sustainability and equity outcomes. This is done through the lens of two plant species endemic to southern Africa: Hoodia gordonii , succulent plants developed as appetite suppressants based on traditional knowledge of the indigenous San peoples, and Pelargonium sidoides , a widely used global phytomedicine harvested by rural communities in the region. Southern Africa is a hub for biodiversity commercialisation, and trade in these two plant species has been caught up in the turbulent world of access and benefit sharing, intellectual property rights, traditional knowledge, uncertain land tenure, unclear regulatory regimes, overlapping governance regimes, and tension between producers, the private sector, NGOs, and traditional authorities and democratically elected government structures. Investigating the evolving dynamics of these actors, the consequences of their interactions and changes in their involvement over time provides insight into the complexities of governance in these value chains, exposing the pressure and friction which can result when global ideals such as equity and sustainability envisioned by the Convention on Biological Diversity encounter local realities. Decision-makers need to provide tailored solutions that are better informed, that reflect the voice and diversity of different actors and that are rooted by realities on the ground.
