Energy crops,livelihoods, and legal deforestation: A case study at Phu Wiang National Park,Thailand

Thailand aims to increase the use of renewable and alternative energy by 25% of total consumption under the Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP 2012–2021) by 2021, which include outputs from energy crops. This initiative is likely to put pressure on land resources, especially near parks and protected areas. Our study examined energy crop plantations, farmer responses to the AEDP, and community roles in forest protection in four villages adjacent to Phu Wiang National Park, Thailand in 2014. The majority of respondents (80%, n = 50) used their land for rice cultivation, but many villagers increased plantings of sugarcane (54%) and cassava (20%) because of high market demand for energy crops. Only a few examples of agricultural expansion into the national park were observed. Nevertheless, encroachment is likely to occur at this and other national parks as a result of government incentives to plant energy crops and the limited availability of agricultural land. Reliance on community-based management strategies may not be powerful enough for villagers to withstand the pressures of modernization, materialism, and other socioeconomic influences, possibly negating the effect of sustainability. Striking an equitable balance between government policies, community development, and forest protection will be a challenge for resource managers.     

Effects of dietary protein and lipid content on growth performance and biological indices of iridescent Shark (Pangasius hypophthalmus, Sauvage 1878) fry

Dietary protein and lipid effects on growth, body composition and indices of iridescent Shark Pangasius hypophthalmus (Sauvage 1878) fry were studied using a 4 × 2 factorial design. Triplicate groups of 10 fish per tank, with initial mean weights of 3.54–3.85 g were fed eight isocaloric diets comprising a combination of four protein levels (250, 300, 350 and 400 g kg⁻¹ or 25%, 30%, 35% and 40%) and two lipid levels (60 and 120 g kg⁻¹ or 6% and 12%) respectively. The fish were hand-fed to satiety twice daily for 8 weeks. Specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed significant effects ( P <0.05) with variations in dietary protein and lipid. The highest SGR was observed in fish fed 40% protein/12% lipid diet but this value was not significantly ( P >0.05) different from the fish fed 30% protein/12% lipid diet. The FCR was lowest for the 40/12 diet and differed significantly only with the 25/6, 25/12 and 30/6 treatments respectively. The hepatosomatic index (HSI) was significantly affected by the level of protein, but intraperitoneal fat (IPF) showed significant variation due to dietary lipid level. The HSI significantly ( P <0.05) decreased when dietary protein increased from 25% to 30% but increased marginally thereafter. The IPF values increased with increased dietary lipid but decreased with increased dietary protein. Body protein was positively correlated with dietary protein content; conversely, body lipid content decreased with increase in dietary protein. The results of this experiment indicate the presence of a protein-sparing effect of lipid as fish fed 30% protein/12% lipid diet had growth and feed utilization comparable to those fed 40% protein/12% lipid diet.