The Impact on Ecosystem Services and the Satisfaction Therewith of Community Forest Management in Northern Thailand

Forest ecosystems provide myriad services that are beneficial to local livelihoods. Successful community forest management (CFM) enhances the provision, overall benefit, and effectiveness of the regulation of ecosystem services and contributes to forest conservation efforts. The study area was a dec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 13; no. 23; p. 13474
Main Authors Thammanu, Siriluck, Han, Hee, Ekanayake, E. M. B. P., Jung, Yoonkoo, Chung, Joosang
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.12.2021
Subjects
Check dams
Collaboration
Community
Dam construction
Deciduous forests
Decision making
Deforestation
Drought
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Environmental economics
Forest conservation
Forest ecosystems
Forest management
Natural resources
Participation
Plant species
Polls & surveys
Rain
Strategic management
Terrestrial ecosystems
Timber
Thailand
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Summary:Forest ecosystems provide myriad services that are beneficial to local livelihoods. Successful community forest management (CFM) enhances the provision, overall benefit, and effectiveness of the regulation of ecosystem services and contributes to forest conservation efforts. The study area was a deciduous forest in the Ban Mae Chiang Rai Lum Community Forest, which is located in Pa Mae Phrik National Forest Reserve in Thailand’s northern province of Lampang. A systematic sampling of the forest area was conducted, and survey plots were established. A field survey documented 197 plant species from 62 families. A questionnaire that focused on CFM engagement behavior and ecosystem service satisfaction levels was used to interview household representatives. The study found that levels of engagement and the effectiveness of forest management were directly related; increased CFM effectiveness leads to improved ecosystem services. Participation in CFM can improve ecosystem services and enhance livelihoods. Specifically, participation in decision making, forest fire management, check dam construction, benefit sharing, and in forming effective forest regulations positively impacted ecosystem services. In contrast, employing forest patrols adversely affected those services. This knowledge is useful for identifying policies and practices that can maximize ecosystem services to enhance livelihoods and safeguard the forest’s vitality.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su132313474