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

Abstract

Nowadays, the intensive management and huge pressure from the human population has become a great challenge for efficient forest management. The main focuses of this study are to investigate (1) the current socio-economic status of a forest-dependent community and (2) the social contribution of two environmental conservation efforts – remnant natural forest conservation and plantation establishment – in a comparative way. The structural interview method was used for the survey, 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 of remnant forest conservation gave much more tangible and intangible benefits than plantations. The mean value of fuelwood availability from natural forests was significantly higher than that of the plantation forests, whereas most of the local people depended on both types of forests for their supplies. Local people were more dependent on natural forests for non-wood forest products and building materials than on plantation forests. The poorer the people, the more they depended on forests. This study points out that rehabilitation implementation and rural livelihood development in harmony is important for combating degradation.