Forest Dependence Research Articles

Plant–frugivore networks are less specialized and more robust at forest–farmland edges than in the interior of a tropical forest

Forest fragmentation and local disturbance are prevailing threats to tropical forest ecosystems and affect frugivore communities and animal seed dispersal in different ways. However, very little is known about the effects of anthropogenic forest edges and of local disturbance on the structure and robustness of plant–frugivore networks. We carried out focal tree observations to record the frugivore species feeding on eight canopy tree species in the forest interior and at forest–farmland edges in a little and a highly disturbed part of a Kenyan rain forest. For each frugivore species, we recorded its body mass and its forest dependence. We examined how forest edge and local disturbance affected the abundance, the richness and the composition of the frugivore community and tested whether forest edge and local disturbance affected plant frugivore networks. Abundance and species richness of frugivores were higher at edges than in the forest interior. Forest visitors and small‐bodied frugivores increased, while forest specialists decreased in abundance at forest edges. The changes in frugivore community composition resulted in plant–frugivore networks that were more connected, more nested and more robust against species extinctions at forest–farmland edges than in the forest interior. Network specialization was lower at forest edges than in the forest interior because at the edges plant specialization on frugivores was very low in small‐fruited species. In contrast, small‐fruited plants were more specialized than large‐fruited plants in the forest interior. Our findings suggest that forest‐visiting birds may stabilize seed‐dispersal services for small‐fruited plant species at rain forest margins, while seed‐dispersal services for large‐fruited plant species may be disrupted at forest edges due to the decrease of large‐bodied frugviores. To assess the ultimate consequences of bird movements from farmland to forest edges for ecosystem functioning, future studies are required to investigate the seed‐dispersal qualities provided by forest‐visiting bird species in the tropics.

Common property forest resources and rural livelihoods: an empirical investigation in the state of Odisha

A vast majority of India's 700 million plus rural population,and most of the 30 million population of Odisha, living in its villages, are critically dependent on Common Property Resources (CPRs) for earning their livelihood. In this backdrop, the paper has made an attempt to study the degree, extent, and determinants of common property forest resource dependency at a household level in the villages of Odisha. The field survey results suggest that income from common property forests constitutes 30.97% of the Common property forest dependency in Odisha total average annual household income. For the poorest 10% of the Objectives, database, and sample households, CPR forest income constitutes 58.70% of their total methodology annual income and for the richest 10% the same has been estimated Empirical findings at 12.88%. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that CPR forest dependency is directly related to household size but inversely related to economic condition and agricultural land holding.

An Empirical Study on Elements of Forest Governance: A Study of JFM Implementation Models in Odisha

All over the world there is a raging debate on three languages of management, the pluralistic, the managerial and the communitarian for improving the governance of common resources like forests. Gradually, it is also being realized that none of these languages provide adequate vocabulary that can address the full range of involved issues by social regulations. However, there is a periodic swing of the pendulum from one extreme to another. Probably, the best can only be achieved by providing a platform for continuous dialogues among major stakeholders so that a consensus is built up. The major task of the forester lies in implementation for which they have been trained and have acquired a maturity which includes recognition of their limitation and the need to seek cooperation from others. In this context, a field research was conducted in four forest division of Odisha namely Angul, Deogarh, Koraput and Rayagada. The study covered VSS members, forest personals, PRI members and civil society (NGOs) to identify and established building blocks of forest governance. A comparative analysis among four different JFM implemented models (FDA, OFSDP, UJFM and RLTAP) was done based on the established parameters of governance. The study has identified 12 broad building blocks of forest governance out of which seven viz. Democratization, Efficiency, Transparency, Gender, Equity, Accountability and Sustainability (Ecological, Economical, Institutional, and Livelihood) are found essential and genuine. The achievement in totality accounts for 77 per cent with corresponding gap of 23 per cent in overall forest governance. Among the four JFM models under study OFSDP found to be the best available JFM model suiting to condition of the State of Odisha and fulfilling the requirements of forest dependents.

Dependence, diversity, and the well-being of rural community: building on the Freudenburg legacy

This paper offers a tribute to William Freudenburg’s legacy of work on the well-being of resource-dependent communities. In it, we review Bill’s work on the well-being of resource-dependent communities, and social impact assessment more generally. Key elements of this program of work, especially his emphasis on subjective indicators of well-being and his emphasis on the need for “mid-range” theory informed research conducted by the Canadian Forest Service that addressed the relationship between forest dependence and well-being. Especially crucial in this vein were analyses that explored variation in outcomes over time, space, and definitions of well-being and dependence. Finally, we demonstrate that these analyses served as a foundation for our emerging work in the area of community diversity and resource dependence.

Combining long-term land cover time series and field observations for spatially explicit predictions on changes in tropical forest biodiversity

Combining spatially explicit land cover data from remote-sensing and faunal data from field observations is increasingly applied for landscape-scale habitat and biodiversity assessments, but without modelling changes quantitatively over time. In a novel approach, we used a long-term time series including historical map data to predict the influence of one century of tropical forest change on keystone species or indicator groups in the Kakamega–Nandi forests, western Kenya. Four time steps of land cover data between 1912/13 and 2003, derived from Landsat satellite imagery, aerial photography and old topographic maps, formed the basis for extrapolating species abundance data on the army ant Dorylus wilverthi, the guild of ant-following birds and three habitat guilds of birds differing in forest dependency. To predict the species' spatio-temporal distribution, we combined spatially explicit geographical information system (GIS)-based modelling with statistical modelling, that is, ordinary least square (OLS) regression models for D. wilverthi and simultaneous autoregressive (SAR) models for ant-following birds. We directly related bird habitat guilds to five forest classes as distinguished in the land cover time series. Extrapolation results over time predict dramatic losses in abundance for D. wilverthi (56%), ant-following birds (58%) and forest bird individuals in general (47%) due to a forest loss of 31% and small-scale fragmentation within the past century. Extrapolations based on a scenario of further deforestation revealed the negative consequences of clearing and splitting up continuous forest into isolated patches, whereas a reforestation scenario suggests the positive impact of natural forest regrowth and indigenous-tree planting. This study demonstrates the high potential of integrating remotesensing and field-based faunal data for landscape-scale quantitative assessments over time. In addition, it shows the suitability of extrapolation studies for evaluating measures of forest conservation.

Forest corridors facilitate movement of tropical forest birds after experimental translocations in a fragmented Neotropical landscape in Mexico

Abstract:We evaluated effects of corridors between forest fragments surrounded by pastures in tropical Mexico. We used experimental translocations and capture–recapture data to measure the proportion of birds returning and time to return after translocation between connected and unconnected patches (five replicates for each treatment). Depending on each species’ degree of forest dependence (forest-restricted and forest-unrestricted species), we assigned birds to two groups to evaluate influence of species characteristics on effects of corridors on movement. Birds translocated between connected patches (n = 75) were seven times more likely to be recaptured in their original capture site when compared with birds translocated between unconnected patches (n = 109). Effects differed among the two species groups. In the presence of corridors, 46% of forest-unrestricted birds returned to the capture site while only 5% returned between unconnected patches. Forest-restricted birds showed similar results, but were only twice as likely to return to a connected capture site. Birds translocated between unconnected patches took longer to return than birds translocated between connected patches. The strong positive effect of corridors on movement, even for forest-unrestricted species, suggests that forested corridors facilitate bird movement and help maintain connectivity even in this highly fragmented landscape.

A Comparative Analysis on the Socio-economic Welfare of Dependents of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in India

Biodiversity is a valuable and yet poorly understood natural resource, depleting rapidly through human interventions. The economic value of biodiversity in a forest ecosystem includes its direct-use value and indirect-use value for the ecological regulatory services it provides. The Western Ghats is one of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots and forest ecosystem that are protected as the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). This study was undertaken with the objective of asserting the consumptive and passive use values of the ATR as well as to examine the people’s attitudes towards consumption and sustainable use of natural resources and forest biodiversity. To estimate the direct-use value, the sample respondents, namely, agriculture and forest dependents within the fringe areas and tourist dependents in urban areas, were selected. Education and income were positively related to per capita consumption expenditure and were highly significant. Family size and landholdings had negative influences on both agriculture and forest dependents and tourist dependents. It was concluded that the development of ecotourism will reduce forest dependents and enhance their income through tourism-related occupations by creating more employment and other related income-generating activities besides protecting the valuable natural resources through optimal and sustainable use.

Forest dependence and community well-being in rural Canada: a longitudinal analysis

Forest dependence and community well-being in rural Canada: a longitudinal analysis

Forest income and dependency in lowland Bolivia

Forests contribute to livelihoods of rural people throughout the tropics. This paper adds to the emerging body of quantitative knowledge on absolute and relative economic importance, through both cash and subsistence income, of moist forests to households. Qualitative contextual information was collected in six villages in lowland Bolivia, followed by a structured survey of randomly selected households (n = 118) that included four quarterly income surveys. We employed a novel data collection approach that allows detailed estimation of total household accounts, including sources of forest income. We estimated the average forest income share of total annual household income (forest dependency) at 20%, ranging from 18 to 24%. Adding environmental income increased the average to 26%, being fairly constant across income quartiles at 24–28%. Absolute levels of forest income increased with total household income, while forest dependency was the highest in the best-off income quartile—the primary harvesters of forest products are better-off households. The pattern of high forest dependency among better-off households has also been reported from other countries, indicating that this pattern may be more common than advocated by conventional wisdom. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions, we found significant determinants of absolute forest income to be household size, sex of household head and area of cultivated land; the significant determinants for forest dependency were level of education, whether household head was born in village and whether household was food self-sufficient. Better-off households were able to realise cash income from forests, while poorer households—in particular if headed by women—were more reliant on subsistence forest income. We argue that the differential patterns of forest income across income quartiles should be considered in future development interventions and that findings indicate a potential for forests to contribute to moving households out of poverty.

Public views on forest management: value orientation and forest dependency as indicators of diversity

Classifying communities as forest dependent based on economic indicators implies that residents of these communities share a utilitarian view of forest management whereby resource extraction and economic benefits are the primary focus. In this study, we test this hypothesis by examining the relationship between forest dependency, value orientation, and views on forest management. Data were collected by mail survey from 1521 residents of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada, in 2007. We classify respondents based on levels of forest dependency of their area of residence and their forest value orientation. We examine variation in beliefs about forest management, goals of forest management, and public involvement across levels of forest dependency and forest value orientation. Results showed some differences among residents from regions with different levels of forest dependence. Considerably greater variation, however, occurred among forest value orientation clusters. This study suggests that regardless of the level of forest dependency, communities comprised a mix of value orientations and that examining populations based on level of forest dependency may mask a plurality of views on forest management within communities.

Fine-scale movement decisions of tropical forest birds in a fragmented landscape

The persistence of forest-dependent species in fragmented landscapes is fundamentally linked to the movement of individuals among subpopulations. The paths taken by dispersing individuals can be considered a series of steps built from individual route choices. Despite the importance of these fine-scale movement decisions, it has proved difficult to collect such data that reveal how forest birds move in novel landscapes. We collected unprecedented route information about the movement of translocated forest birds from two species in the highly fragmented tropical dry forest of Costa Rica. In this pasture-dominated landscape, forest remains in patches or riparian corridors, with lesser amounts of living fencerows and individual trees or "stepping stones." We used step selection functions to quantify how route choice was influenced by these habitat elements. We found that the amount of risk these birds were willing to take by crossing open habitat was context dependent. The forest-specialist Barred Antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus) exhibited stronger selection for forested routes when moving in novel landscapes distant from its territory relative to locations closer to its territory. It also selected forested routes when its step originated in forest habitat. It preferred steps ending in stepping stones when the available routes had little forest cover, but avoided them when routes had greater forest cover. The forest-generalist Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) preferred steps that contained more pasture, but only when starting from non-forest habitats. Our results showed that forested corridors (i.e., riparian corridors) best facilitated the movement of a sensitive forest specialist through this fragmented landscape. They also suggested that stepping stones can be important in highly fragmented forests with little remaining forest cover. We expect that naturally dispersing birds and species with greater forest dependence would exhibit even stronger selection for forested routes than did the birds in our experiments.

Plant communities, species diversity, richness, and regeneration of a traditionally managed coastal forest, Kenya

The Kenyan coastal forests make up one of the World 25 Biodiversity Hotspots. They consist of over 140 fragments (the majority with areas less than 0.5 km 2) of the once extensive Zanzibar–Inhambane lowland moist forest. The over 60 known Mijikenda sacred Kaya forests and groves scattered along the coastal hinterland form the greater part of this ecosystem. The forests are of biological and cultural significance, and this has been recognized nationally and internationally, with some now listed as World Heritage Sites. The forests are protected by councils of Kaya elders who regulate use of their resources. Increasing human population and subsequent rise in demand for forest products and land for settlement has put a strain on these relic forests. Farm encroachment and extraction of forest products in different Kaya forests have affected the vegetation ecology at varying levels. This study investigated the spatial species distribution, association and regeneration potential of commonly utilized plants in one of these traditionally managed ecosystems. A modified nested plot method was used to collect data in the field. Using TWINSPAN multivariate, and indicator species analysis, two plant communities ( Asteranthe and Bridelia) and an undifferentiated vegetation type were identified. Species association in Asteranthe consisted largely of forest dependant species, with a significant presence of woody climbers. It was comprised of two sub-communities namely Manilkara and Scorodophloeos. In contrast the second plant community, Bridelia, was dominated by light demanding species. It comprised one sub-community ( Catunaregam) and a seral stage ( Keetia). The species diversity and richness was higher in the Asteranthe community compared to Bridelia. Some of the forest species commonly utilized by the local people were observed to regenerate both in open and closed forest habitats while others had seedling recruitment confined to closed forest. Despite some coastal forests showing physiognomic similarity, detailed study shows intra-variation linked to topography, exposition, type and intensity of human perturbation both currently and in the distant past. Clearly, vegetation patterns of coastal forests of eastern Africa change at fairly short intervals. Recruitment of forest specialists is likely to decline if closed forests are opened up by farm encroachment, however their less specialized counterparts can pioneer in re-colonization of disturbed sites if conservation is strengthened. There is need to invigorate traditional management systems of forests with cultural significance by recognizing and giving increased legal mandates to the local custodians.

Specialization and interaction strength in a tropical plant–frugivore network differ among forest strata

The degree of interdependence and potential for shared coevolutionary history of frugivorous animals and fleshy-fruited plants are contentious topics. Recently, network analyses revealed that mutualistic relationships between fleshy-fruited plants and frugivores are mostly built upon generalized associations. However, little is known about the determinants of network structure, especially from tropical forests where plants' dependence on animal seed dispersal is particularly high. Here, we present an in-depth analysis of specialization and interaction strength in a plant-frugivore network from a Kenyan rain forest. We recorded fruit removal from 33 plant species in different forest strata (canopy, midstory, understory) and habitats (primary and secondary forest) with a standardized sampling design (3447 interactions in 924 observation hours). We classified the 88 frugivore species into guilds according to dietary specialization (14 obligate, 28 partial, 46 opportunistic frugivores) and forest dependence (50 forest species, 38 visitors). Overall, complementary specialization was similar to that in other plant-frugivore networks. However, the plant-frugivore interactions in the canopy stratum were less specialized than in the mid- and understory, whereas primary and secondary forest did not differ. Plant specialization on frugivores decreased with plant height, and obligate and partial frugivores were less specialized than opportunistic frugivores. The overall impact of a frugivore increased with the number of visits and the specialization on specific plants. Moreover, interaction strength of frugivores differed among forest strata. Obligate frugivores foraged in the canopy where fruit resources were abundant, whereas partial and opportunistic frugivores were more common on mid- and understory plants, respectively. We conclude that the vertical stratification of the frugivore community into obligate and opportunistic feeding guilds structures this plant-frugivore network. The canopy stratum comprises stronger links and generalized associations, whereas the lower strata are composed of weaker links and more specialized interactions. Our results suggest that seed-dispersal relationships of plants in lower forest strata are more prone to disruption than those of canopy trees.

Environmental resource consumption pattern in rural Arunachal Pradesh

The paper attempts to study the impact of household-level heterogeneity on the degree and nature of forest dependency under conditions of declining forest cover and institutional diversity. Based on household-level primary data from twelve villages in five districts of Arunachal Pradesh, India, the study brings out the significance of forest resources as a source of livelihoods in the Eastern Himalayan region. The findings suggest that CPRs play a significant role in the livelihoods strategies of the rural poor. Household characteristics such as size of landholdings, education and distance from markets significantly affect forest dependency. Although the absolute amount of forest income derived by the rich is higher, in relative terms the poor depend more on CPRs like forest. It is not only that the extent of forest dependency varies across various income groups, with gradual commercialisation of the forest economy, the nature of dependency on forest across income groups has undergone significant changes as well. The rural rich extract more high-value, commercial forest products, while the poorer households depend on community forests for their basic survival needs. The diversity in the pattern of resource use is one of the key challenges before the local-level institutions governing access to the CPRs.

Changes in Property Rights, Forest Use and Forest Dependency of Katu Communities in Nam Dong District, Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam

SUMMARY Sustainable participatory management and conservation requires an understanding of site-specific, rights structure, resource use and resource dependency patterns over time. This paper documents these issues by examining the resource use pattern overtime by the Katu people in Nam Dong district, Thua Thien Hue province, central Vietnam, before and after allocation of natural forest to the households of the community. Household interview, key informant and group discussions were used for data collection and crosscheck. Descriptive analysis and pairsample T-test are main tools used to explore those parameters. We found a weak performance of property rights and differences in the De facto to the De jure rights of forest recipients. On contrary to the increased rights, forest use and forest dependency of local people have been reduced due to the degradation of resources, and availability of alternative opportunities from emerging agriculture and animal grazing options. Considering dynamic nature of reso...

Predictors of forest fragmentation sensitivity in Neotropical vertebrates: a quantitative review

Species' responses to tropical forest fragmentation are variable and not well understood. Species' functional traits might help to reveal patterns of fragmentation sensitivity and provide valuable guidance to conservation practice. On the basis of 30 reviewed studies published between 1997 and 2008, we present a quantitative analysis of 730 responses of Neotropical vertebrates to forest fragmentation and habitat loss in terms of species' presence, abundance or fitness. Our intention was to identify possible ecological predictors of sensitivity to fragmentation, such as vertebrate group, feeding guild, forest dependency, and body size. We also controlled for methodology and study site characteristics, i.e. parameters studied, study design, study ID, and site ID. These ecological and methodological variables are frequently hypothesized to have an influence on reported fragmentation sensitivity. We conducted Linear Mixed Model analyses in order to relate the potential predictor variables to reported fragmentation effects. Model performance was assessed on the basis of AIC values. The best models included feeding guild, feeding guild + study design and feeding guild + forest dependency, respectively. We found that study ID and site ID significantly improved the models. Post-hoc tests revealed that nectarivores, possibly herbivores, and species able to use open habitats were affected significantly less by forest fragmentation than others. We therefore conclude that Neotropical nectarivores that are able to use open habitats are less negatively affected by forest fragmentation. Furthermore, a study site's characteristics will always be crucial in explaining observed fragmentation effects.

Mine over matter? Health, wealth and forests in a mining area of Orissa

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether mining can serve as a pathway for economic development despite the environmental externalities. The extensive literature on the “resource curse” phenomenon at the national level generally finds that economic dependence on mineral resources is associated with lower levels of economic growth. This paper shows that further insight can be obtained by studying micro‐level resource curse because of heterogeneity in institutions, natural resources and economic behaviors.Design/methodology/approachThe paper empirically tests the resource curse hypothesis with data from a stratified random sample of 600 households in 20 villages in the mining district of Keonjhar, Orissa. Household surveys were used to collect data on demography, forest dependence, health and household economics. Using geographical information system (GIS), the household data were integrated with secondary spatial data on land cover and location of mines to construct multiple measures of exposure to iron ore mines.FindingsMicroeconometric models demonstrate the multi‐faceted nature of the relationships between mine exposure, forest resources and human welfare. Households closer to mines experience higher incidences of many illnesses, rank lower on indicators of human development and own fewer production assets. They also derive fewer forest benefits because forests are more degraded and less accessible in villages closer to mines.Originality/valueThis analysis remains timely because of on‐going violent conflicts and concern over negative impacts on the welfare of rural populations in the mining areas of India, which is consistent with the notion of a resource curse. The paper's findings on the magnitude of negative impacts can inform the policy discourse (e.g. benefits sharing schemes) related to mining‐led growth.

Experimental evaluation of bird movements in a fragmented Neotropical landscape

The potential negative effects of forest fragmentation on animal movement and dispersal, and its consequences for population persistence, require an understanding of how modified landscapes affect movement decisions of forest species. We used a dispersal challenge experiment, whereby we released individuals of six bird species in a cattle pasture at different distances from forest edge (0, 50, 100 and 150m), in a fragmented tropical landscape in Mexico to investigate the gap-crossing abilities and movement behavior of six species of tropical forest birds. Gaps as narrow as 50m affected movement behavior of tropical forest birds. A sharp change in movement behavior in gaps 100m and larger suggested the presence of a threshold distance beyond which birds are less likely to attempt and successfully navigate during trans-gap flights. Bird responses varied with degree of forest dependence: three forest-restricted species showed greater latency to cross gaps, independent of gap width, as compared with forest-unrestricted species. Gap width had a stronger effect on the orientation and destination of forest-restricted species than that of forest-unrestricted species. The concordance of our results with those found in species-distribution and radio-tracking studies indicates that dispersal challenge experiments provide reliable predictive information about response of forest birds to gaps between isolated forest fragments. In the landscape we studied, reducing gaps to no more than 50m and providing corridors or shade trees between fragments should facilitate movements of forest birds.

The Chepang and forest conservation in the central mid-hills of Nepal

This study was carried out in Wards 3 and 4 of Shaktikhor Village Development Committee (VDC), which forms a bottleneck in the Barandavar forest that connects the Chitwan National Park with the Mahabharat Range (mid-hills) in the north. The intent was to analyse the Chepang indigenous community, their dependency and pressure on the forest, their traditional management methods, the potential for community-based forest management and other related issues. The study method included open-ended interviews with four District Forest Office (DFO) staff, 15 key informants, a socio-economic survey of 250 households, data collection on household consumption of forest products and an analysis of land cover changes from the years 1970 and 2000. Chepangs were found highly dependent on a forest whose area has decreased by 12%, resulting in a reduction in species used by the Chepang for their livelihoods. Economic development based on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) has potential to decrease forest dependency and help conservation but the oligopoly (a limited number of suppliers and sellers) nature of the market, policyrelated problems and limited DFO technical staff has prevented people from enjoying NTFP-based economic benefits. The Chepang traditional management practice was found to be environmentally friendly but at times of increased population pressure on the forest these traditions broke down. Lack of trust between Chepangs and non-Chepangs, and the absence of mediation from the DFO obstructed the formation of community organizations to manage the forest.

An economic analysis of willingness to pay (WTP) for conserving the biodiversity

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the impact of eco‐tourism on the socio‐economic characteristics of the native inhabitants and natural resources in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), India. The paper estimates the recreational value and measures the willingness to pay (WTP) of the stakeholders and tourists to conserve the forest eco‐system.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws upon theories and issues of eco‐tourism to examine the economic value of forest ecosystem, including direct and indirect use values of the ecological regulatory services. The 60 sample stakeholders of the study were agricultural and forest dependents and tourist dependents in addition to 60 visitors of ATR spot.FindingsThe travel cost had a significant negative influence on frequency of visits, while education had a positive impact. The agriculture and forest dependents, tourist dependents and tourists were WTP an average amount of Rs 202 (US$4.03), Rs 449 (US$9.55) and Rs 656 (US$14.00)/annum, respectively, towards internalizing eco‐tourism‐related externalities. The option value of conserving the ATR was estimated by contingent valuation method using bidding game technique. Education and number of animal species sighted have positively related to WTP and was highly significant.Social implicationsThe paper addresses the attitude of people towards conservation of the forest biodiversity, as well as increasing the income of the people via eco‐tourism.Originality/valueThe outcome implies that eco‐tourism will reduce the dependency of forest and also create more employment and other tourism‐related income augmenting activities and thus enhancing additional income through tourism related occupations. The paper suggests the establishment of several other eco‐parks in Tamil Nadu for protecting the biodiversity as well as generating additional income and improving the livelihood security of the population.