Protected area co-management and land use conflicts adjacent to Phu Kao – Phu Phan Kham National Park,Thailand

This study examined land use conflicts between three villages and Phu Kao – Phu Phan Kham National Park in northeast Thailand that resulted from its access and utilization during 2013–2015. The source of conflict is usufruct rights, a government entitlement program designed to honor villagers who lived on the land before it was established as a national park or forest reserve. Ironically, designation of protected areas is not a safeguard for biodiversity. A complex set of rules and regulations control access to resources, but compliance is subject to government oversight and economic pressure to improve quality of life. Granting usufruct rights may reduce certain land use conflicts, but they fail to address agricultural expansion inside park and forest boundaries. For example, agricultural encroachment in this protected area increased by 13.1% during the study period, mainly through cassava plantings. Cassava requires a small amount of maintenance and has a high market value since it is being promoted as an energy crop by the Thai government. A variety of management strategies are needed for sustainable forestry, such as regular forest patrols, reduction of agricultural-based income, and community-based initiatives.     

日本国立公园发展、体系与特点

截至2010年日本国立公园与国定公园(准国立公园)共有85处, 占日本国土面积9.1%。国立公园保护着日本最重要的自然风景资源, 也是最重要的度假休闲地。了解日本国立公园管理体系对建设我国森林公园具有启示意义。文中梳理了日本国立公园产生、发展的脉络, 以及国立公园和国定公园的基本状况; 概述了国立公园的规划体系、管理体系和保护分区, 并指出日本国立公园的基本特点是风景资源复杂多样、内部土地权属复杂、地域制自然公园管理制度和保护体系的基础在于多方协作; 提出借鉴日本国立公园的经验, 我国森林公园建设应建立协作体制, 进一步完善规划体系, 在市域绿地系统规划中统筹考虑功能与布局。     

新西兰国家公园绿色管理经验及对云南的启迪

位于南半球的新西兰国家公园建设经验的精髓是绿色管理,具体体现在3个方面:1)在国家宏观层面的保护管理,新西兰在法律上颁布《保护法》统管《野生动物法》、《野生动物控制法》、《自然保护区法》、《国家公园法》、《海洋保护区法》法规,形成较为完善的保护法律体系;在机构上成立统管土地、森林、野生动物、环境委员会的国家保护部门——保护部,专司保护的职能;在行动上,形成了政府和社区民众双向平行参与的"双列统一管理体系"的保护管理模式。2)在国家公园发展战略中观层面,将国家绿色理念全面融入国家公园,将国家公园作为国家的绿色旅游品牌,全面提升国家的绿色健康价值理念;3)在国家公园管理的微观层面,全面推行绿色规划和设计技术,实行强势保护下的特许经营以及社区公众全方位参与保护的机制。这些经验,对中国大陆首批国家公园——云南滇西北国家公园建设具有重要的借鉴意义。     

Changes of land tenure and the introduction of tree cash crops by shifting cultivators: The case of the Paluan Muruts in Sabah, Malaysia

Shifting cultivation is one of the main factors that has caused forest degradation in many tropical countries. In Sabah, Malaysia, the government has granted land titles to local farmers outside the Forest reserve, and introduced tree cash crops to reduce farmers’ dependence on shifting cultivation. Granting land titles, however, was not always an incentive for farmers to plant tree cash crops. Farmers often planted tree cash crops on land without secure legal rights. The Land Ordinance and illegal logging had introduced exclusive and (semi-)permanent rights to land into this region, and the Forest reserve also was divided among villagers. The Land Ordinance stipulates that planting trees confers permanent heritable and transferable rights of use and occupancy but not within Forest reserves. Local farmers who were anxious about their land rights believed that they could obtain those rights even within the Forest reserve, and applied for land titles. Farmers planted tree cash crops not only for future income but also to secure their land rights. At present, the policy of Forest reserve has nearly collapsed in this region and it is impossible to neglect or remove local farmers if the government utilizes Forest reserves for any purpose. Lands in the interior regions will be reclassified in the near future out of necessity.     

Trends in land cover change and isolation of protected areas at the interface of the southern boreal mixedwood and aspen parkland in Alberta, Canada

The Beaver Hills region of central Alberta is located at the interface of the southern boreal mixedwood forest and the aspen parkland, an area now dominated by agriculture, urban and industrial development. Increasing anthropogenic land cover will eventually isolate remaining natural habitats currently protected in parks and reserves. This paper analyzes land cover and land cover change (LCC) in the Beaver Hills moraine and surrounding areas using a structured hierarchical satellite imagery classification applied to Landsat Multi Spectral Scanner and Thematic Mapper from 1977, 1987, and 1998. Our goal was to quantify deforestation and habitat fragmentation trends and then discuss how this information could be used to develop a conservation approach that will protect current areas against further habitat loss. We found that the rate of deforestation in the lands surrounding the moraine was similar to the broad trend at the southern periphery of the Canadian boreal forest region: annual rate of change in forest cover was −0.82%/year. However, in the Beaver Hills there was a net gain of +0.61%/year, due to regeneration of low quality agricultural lands. All fragmentation indices used indicated an increase in forest fragmentation. We designed a network of protected areas and remaining large forest patches, based on the UNESCO-MAB biosphere model. Our results underline concerns regarding the increasing isolation of national parks and biological reserves in Canada.     

青海省以国家公园为主体建立自然保护地体系探析

分析青海省自然保护地体系及其基本特征,对自然保护地现状进行评价。结果显示:青海省自然保护地以国家公园和自然保护区为主,包含水利风景区、湿地公园、水产种质资源保护区、沙漠公园、森林公园、地质公园、风景名胜区等类型;管理体制存在生态保护多头管理、政出多门问题严重,政策法规和标准体系庞杂交叉甚至矛盾,土地权属复杂混乱等问题。提出自然保护地体系由以自然保护区为主体向以国家公园为主体转变;服从大局,整合资源,统一规划管理;尊重自然法则,实现严格保护和人与自然和谐共生的有效统一等建议。     

西双版纳热带雨林国家公园周边社区土地利用方式及发展研究

国家公园和周边社区居民存在着非常紧密的互动关系。文章以西双版纳热带雨林国家公园周边社区为研究对象,于2010年1~12月采用PRA、RRA(乡村快速评估)方法,对周边263个社区开展调查分析。结果显示,社区的土地利用模式已趋向稳定,单一种植粮食的种植业结构正在调整,发展扩大种植了橡胶、茶叶、水果等经济林木和甘蔗等经济作物,原始生产方式正在被固定农田、种植长期经济林木取代。针对存在的问题,对国家公园及社区的进一步管理和发展提出建议。     

基于社会—生态系统(SES)框架的卢旺达国家公园管理绩效评价及启示

2021年,中国政府宣布正式设立第1批国家公园,标志着我国生态文明领域又一重大制度创新落地生根,也标志着国家公园由试点转向建设阶段。国家公园是我国最重要的自然保护地类型之一,应实行严格的生态保护和管理。卢旺达国家公园经过多年发展,已经形成相对完善的管理机制,总结分析其管理经验对未来一段时期我国发展国家公园有一定借鉴意义。文中基于社会—生态系统(SES)框架,从外部的社会经济政治环境和内部的资源系统、治理系统等多方面对卢旺达国家公园管理绩效进行评估,并在分析其投资活动、社会绩效和生态绩效等成功经验的基础上,提出对我国发展国家公园的政策启示,包括加快国家公园立法进程、理顺管理机制、完善生态系统保护制度、创新资金投入机制和打造品牌项目等。     

Forest Villagers in Northeastern Hill Forests of Bangladesh: Examining Their Livelihoods,Livelihood Strategies and Forest Conservation Linkages

Even though many forest villagers have been living on forest department land and serving the department in the northeastern hill forests region of Bangladesh since the early 1950s, their livelihood has not yet been fully explored. This paper examines the livelihoods of forest villagers (Khasia ethnic people) and their contribution to forest conservation, using data from the Sylhet forest division. The forest villagers are well-endowed with all the elements of a sustainable livelihoods framework, though human capital in terms of education is not satisfactory. Strong social capital, stable natural capital and a productive market-oriented agroforestry system facilitate the generation of financial and physical capital that make the livelihoods of Khasia people sustainable. At the same time, their reciprocal contributions in terms of forest protection and plantation development support forest conservation. However, some institutional issues such as insecure land tenure with regular agreement renewal problems need to be resolved for the sake of their livelihoods and forest conservation. Lessons learned from the study can be utilized in formulating future participatory forest management schemes in the country.     

Suitability of the taungya system at North Kilimanjaro Forest Plantation,Tanzania

The taungya is a system whereby villagers and sometimes forest plantation workers are given the right to cultivate agricultural crops during the early stages of forest plantation establishment. Cultivation is often allowed to continue until trees shade crops due to canopy closure. This study aimed at analyzing the taungya system at the North Kilimanjaro Forest Plantation in Tanzania but was limited to an examination of costs and revenues resulting from the practice and also the impact the system has on tree survival and food crop yields. Results show that during the early stages of forest plantation establishment, intercropping of young trees with food crops is beneficial in terms of tree survival, food crop production, financial income to the peasant farmers and reduction of forest plantation establishment costs. Therefore the system is suitable and should be sustained.     

云南章凤国家森林公园范围调整研究

针对云南章凤国家森林公园存在的问题和矛盾,结合陇川县保护空缺分析结果,通过对森林公园、保护空缺区域进行深入的调查、论证和评估,综合确定森林公园范围调整方案。根据调整方案,原森林公园调出面积6 941.4 hm²,保留面积58.6 hm²,调入面积6 958.4 hm²,范围调整后森林公园总面积7 017 hm²。调出区域主要是耕地、住宅用地、人工商品林等,调入区域主要为天然常绿阔叶林。范围调整提高了森林公园的保护价值,提升了森林公园的景观质量,缓解了保护与发展的矛盾,有利于充分发挥森林公园保护、自然教育、生态旅游三大功能作用,促进地方社会经济协调发展,实现森林公园有效管理。     

菲律宾生物多样性现状及其保护策略

快速的人口增长和迅速的植被破坏已成为当今菲律宾环境演化的主要趋势。近年滥伐森林已超过10万hm2,由于木材采伐、林地遭农田蚕食和森林火灾,降低了森林覆盖率,改变了水文条件;森林砍伐也暗示着乡土植物和乡土动物不可逆转的灭绝,导致了高价值栖息地和平衡生态系统的消失。在过去的30年间,70%的原始红树林全部被毁坏,大约60%的特有种现已灭绝。关于菲律宾的动物,目前又有18种陆栖脊椎动物被列为濒危种,明多罗水牛（Bubalus mindorensis）和菲律宾鹰（Pithecophaga jeferyi）正处于灭绝的边缘。所有菲律宾国家公园由于人类的侵蚀已不同程度地降低等级。只有排名世界第三的礁石经调查后情况良好。文中叙述了菲律宾陆地、湿地和海洋的生物多样性,以及当前对生物多样性保护的策略和措施。     

The allocation of household-based forest protection contracts in Tam Dao National Park,Vietnam: Elite capture as a bureaucratic impulse against community capture

Abstract

This article examines the characteristics of households that were allocated paid forest protection contracts in Tam Dao National Park situated in northern Vietnam. Its research indicates that the national park management board systematically favored households with weaker community ties in their contract allocations. Furthermore, the article argues that the national park management board took a defensive stance against buffer zone communes resisting park policy and that they also attempted to manage forest conservation by centralizing the allocation and management of forest protection contracts. These circumstances led to an inequitable distribution of rights and continued land use inside the park, as contract holders were powerless to enforce park regulations.     

The farming system and traditional agroforestry systems in the Maya community of San Jose, Belize

Shifting slash-and-burn agriculture is likely one of the main causes of forest degradation in southern Belize. Although many development projects have attempted to reduce the impacts of agriculture on the tropical rainforest, the situation is still a cause for concern. A study of the farming system of the San Jose Maya community was therefore carried out to examine agricultural production in its social, cultural, economic, and political context. Results demonstrate that agricultural production contributes to forest degradation because of the limited availability of agricultural land, the low level of investment in agricultural production, the land tenure system, limited marketing opportunities, and the exclusion of Mayas from the country's political and economic domains. Agroforestry could, however, offer a partial solution to the problem of forest degradation. Three types of traditional agroforestry systems are practised in San Jose: the milpa (a slash-and-burn agriculture system), cacao (Theobroma cacao) cultivation under shade trees, and the homegarden. These traditional agroforestry systems almost entirely meet a family's needs for food and wood, and generate at least 62% of family income. Improving the productivity of these systems could help to reduce pressure on the forest in southern Belize.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Formal Address

Summary

A combination of social, economic and physical factors contribute to a decision to migrate for a peasant farmer. Seventy percent of Panamanian land comprises steep topography with low soil fertility. Campesinos (peasant farmers) must perpetually migrate when the land they have settled in the forest loses fertility. This process of continual migration results in deforestation and conversion of forest land to pasture land, which then becomes degraded and subsequently abandoned. Also, government policy has not favored the activities of small land owners, but loans from national banks have financed the promotion of large-scale cattle ranches.

Migration patterns consist of moving to a forested area, clearing it for agriculture for one to three years, and thereafter sowing it for pasture. These conditions eventually result in low agricultural and cattle production. Campesinos therefore sell the land to cattle ranchers who can afford to invest in better management practices. Deforestation in the Canal Watershed, therefore, has left a pattern of land ownership comprising a matrix of a few large landowners, within which remain numerous but small peasant land holdings.

A program for small land owners in and around the Watershed region that promotes social, cultural, and economic stability of land use is needed. Supporting and promoting agroforestry with uses of native tree species associated with subsistence and market crops is an alternative for slowing deforestation and promoting sedentary land use.     

Producing Framework Tree Species for Restoring Forest Ecosystems in Northern Thailand

Since 1994, the Forest Restoration Research Unit of Chiang Mai University’s Biology Department (FORRU-CMU) has been developing methods to restore forest ecosystems to deforested sites within protected areas, for biodiversity conservation and environmental protection in northern Thailand. With support from WWF Greater Mekong Thailand Country Programme and corporate sponsor King Power Duty Free, the unit is working with Hmong hill tribe villagers from Baan Mae Sa Mai, in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, to expand a demonstration site for the “framework species method” of forest restoration. The technique entails planting 20 to 30 indigenous forest tree species, capable of rapidly shading out weeds and attracting seed-dispersing animals from nearby forest remnants. This results in rapid increase in tree species richness, progressing towards the species composition of the original forest, as well as overall biodiversity recovery. FORRU-CMU operates a research tree nursery, where innovative tree propagation techniques are developed, and a community-based nursery and education centre, where the practicability of those techniques is tested by local villagers. The nurseries and the demonstration field trials have become a popular training facility where visiting foresters and conservationists, both from Thailand and neighbouring countries, can learn effective forest restoration methods. FORRU-CMU provides a model for formulating a strategy to apply the framework species method to restore larger degraded sites within Thailand’s protected areas system.     

关于建立国家公益林制度的若干意见

实行国家公益林制度是社会发展的必然趋势,要通过制度来认识和经营管理国家公益林。国家公益林就是指关系国家生态安全和根本利益的一些重要地段、流域和区域内由国家直接管理和建设的公益林。这些国家公益林应该包括一些重要的水源林、国家级自然保护区、国家森林公园和国家级重点名胜区内的森林等。国家公益林的建设目标:实行国家公益林管理制度,根据国家的生态安全需要,有重点、分步骤、分批地建立国家公益林体系,构建起由国家直接管理的生态安全的保障体系。建设国家公益制度的思路:一是在全国范围内作好公益林生态地位等级的科学区划及相应的规划工作;二是建立完善的法规体系;三是完善法人治理结构;四是一些重要流域水源林保护管理机构的建立;五是集中有限的资金提高投资效益。并提出了建立国家公益林制度亟需研究的相关课题。     

An approach to achieve sustainable development goals through participatory land and forest conservation: a case study in South Kalimantan Province,Indonesia

The delivery of sustainable development goals (SDGs) through a participatory land and forest conservation initiative was evaluated in South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The initiative focused on the rehabilitation of a 410 ha forest that was managed by local villagers. A forest rehabilitation and management initiative was developed through participatory action, establishing a well-managed rubber plantation that provided new livelihood opportunities. Poverty reduction was promoted, evidenced by a reduction in inequality amongst the local community. Between 2010 and 2018 the Gini coefficient of inequality declined from 34.6% to 31.3%, demonstrating a contribution to SDGs 1 (No Poverty) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). In addition, forest rehabilitation resulted in improved carbon stock and biodiversity management contributing to SDG15 (Life on Land). This was attributed to successful forest rehabilitation and the reduced incidence of forest fires. Cooperation amongst local villagers categorized as living in poor households was improved, facilitated by capacity building. This focused on rubber plantation management, cooperative action, and firefighting activities. This capacity building contributed to the delivery of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Results from a socio-economic survey demonstrated that group activities and cooperation amongst stakeholders were essential to improve both livelihoods and forest management practices.     

Farm and Village Forest Use Practice in Ekiti State: Analysis of Government Policy and Tenure Issues

This study analyzed the influence of government policy and tenure issues on farm and village forest use practices in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Three rural communities that were still far from urban influence were selected from each of the 16 local government areas of the state. In each community, 20 household heads were selected and interviewed with the aid of a semi-structured matrix. The interviews aimed at the determination of respondents' socioeconomic status, awareness and belief in the effectiveness or otherwise of the forest laws and regulations, land use, tenure and property rights. Results obtained revealed that the awareness of forest laws and regulations cut across the socio-economic categories. Most of these laws and regulations that were considered to be necessary could also constitute disincentives to sustainable forest development. Three types of land tenure niches—private holdings, commons, and government reserves—exist in the state. These led to land fragmentations in which individuals are now left with small holdings. Individuals with small and medium landholdings found it difficult to invest in tree planting; hence, they meet their subsistence use of wood and non-wood forest products from diverse sources. Individuals with large landholdings were found cultivating cash tree crops; timber species were not cultivated though their wildlings were preserved. Also, when land is let or leased out, tenants were not allowed to invest in tree planting on such land.     

Evolution of agroforestry based farming systems: a study of Dhanusha District, Nepal

This paper examines how agroforestry-based farming systems evolved in the Dhanusha district of Nepal following the conversion of forest into agriculture during the early 1950s. Some data are from two focus group discussions with agroforestry farmers and one meeting with agroforestry experts. The farmers?? discussion traced the development of farming practices from 1950 to 2010 to identify the drivers of land use change. The experts?? discussion resulted in a scale to differentiate the prevailing farming systems in the study area considering five key components of agroforestry: agricultural crops, livestock, forest tree crops, fruit tree crops and vegetable crops. Data related to the system components were collected from the randomly selected households. The study reveals that land use had generally changed from very simple agriculture to agroforestry, triggered by infrastructure development, technological innovations, institutional support (subsidies and buy-back guarantees) and extension programs. A range of farming systems with varying degrees of integration was evident in the study area: simple agriculture; less integrated agroforestry; semi-integrated agroforestry and highly integrated agroforestry. The three types of agroforestry systems, which are the focus of this study, varied significantly in terms of farm size, cropping intensity, use of farm inputs, tree species diversity, tree density, home to forest distance and agricultural labour force.