Study on the extent of support of current forest management to local people by comparing natural forests and plantation forests in Myanmar

摘要

Nowadays, the intensive management and huge pressure from the human population has become a great challenge forefficient forest management. The main focuses of this study are to investigate (1) the current socio-economic status of aforest-dependent community and (2) the social contribution of two environmental conservation efforts 鈥?remnant naturalforest conservation and plantation establishment 鈥?in a comparative way. The structural interview method was used for thesurvey, and questionnaires were set out as both closed- and open-ended questions. The respondents were stratified as poor,medium and better off, and the sample shape was defined as a triangle. The results showed that restoration by means ofremnant forest conservation gave much more tangible and intangible benefits than plantations. The mean value offuelwood availability from natural forests was significantly higher than that of the plantation forests, whereas most of thelocal people depended on both types of forests for their supplies. Local people were more dependent on natural forests fornon-wood forest products and building materials than on plantation forests. The poorer the people, the more they dependedon forests. This study points out that rehabilitation implementation and rural livelihood development in harmony isimportant for combating degradation.