Abstract
The understanding of interaction between rural people and forest products is one of the challenges faced while balancing forest product utilization with forest conservation in Myanmar. This study aims to contribute an effort to such challenges by analyzing the interaction of rural households with forest products in Myanmar. Data were collected using face-to-face questionnaire interviews with 218 households and conducting a rapid tree inventory across 132 circular random plots in selected rural communities around four townships of the Katha District. The empirical results indicate that the 95% of rural households were entirely dependent on forest products. The survey documented 13 main forest products and 54 tree species, which were primarily used for household consumption. Low-income households compared with medium- and high-income households with low educational level (p<0.05) and a small agricultural land area (p<0.05) were found to be more forest-dependent households. Illegal logging, mining, fuel-wood collection, slash-and-burn agriculture, and the establishment of forest plantations were reported as the main causes of forest products depletion. Findings from this study, although at a microlevel, can be used by the Myanmar Forestry Department as baseline information to improve community-based forest management activities.
Highlights
About 1.6 billion rural people’s livelihood depends fully or partially on products derived from local forests [1, 2]
Several studies [2,3,4] highlight the significant contributions of forest products to the income of rural households, including the alleviation of poverty [5]
The results of the study have shown that the natural forest in the Katha District plays a significant role in rural people’s livelihood, serving as the main source of primary and secondary income for rural households
Summary
About 1.6 billion rural people’s livelihood depends fully or partially on products derived from local forests [1, 2]. Several studies [2,3,4] highlight the significant contributions of forest products to the income of rural households, including the alleviation of poverty [5] This dependence has indicated negative impacts on the environment such as forest resource depletion, soil erosion, water pollution, and climate change [1]. In Myanmar, a developing country, 70% of the total population comprises rural households living close to the forest and depending on it for their livelihoods [6,7,8] This population practices shifting cultivation in the nearby forest area and directly extracts forest products [9, 10]. According to the findings of Forest Resource Assessment, Myanmar has the third highest rate of annual forest area reduction in the world [11], lost due to several factors including increasing population, poverty, and unsustainable land-use practices [6, 11,12,13]
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