The Conducive Environment stream focuses on the importance of leveling the playing field for CBNEs by providing supportive policies and research findings that help promote them and their products. Even during pre-pandemic times, negotiating markets, balancing costs and developing new products were already challenges for small producers. NTFP-EP supports ASEAN in plans to integrate and mainstream CBNEs into its Micro-Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) strategies. It has also spearheaded guidelines on NTFP harvest protocols. The scientific community will be important in assisting the differentiation of CBNE products from others.