Forest Guards Research Articles

Contribution of buffer zone and community forest programme in household income at Laharepauwa of Rasuwa and Tupche of Nuwakot, Nepal

Historically, Nepal government has been adequately innovative to experiment new conservation and forestry models. The most marked policy shift was the Buffer Zone Management Regulation (1996) which provisioned for buffer zones and 30-50% revenue sharing with local institutions. Similarly, community forestry, which evolved in mid-70s’ has been innovative approach benefiting millions of forest users. The present study attempted to compare buffer zone and community forestry programmes in terms of economic benefits they bring to the local households. Altogether, 274 households were interviewed. Consultation meeting was organized with Langtang National Park office and District Forest Office, Nuwakot. Similarly, key informant interview was carried out with forest guards and key representatives of user’s groups. The most prevalent sources of incomes were agriculture and livestock. The result shows 92.4% households collected forest resources and derived a seasonal income from NTFP in Laharepauwa. The total and mean (HH/year) incomes calculated were respectively US$ 202,209 and US$ 1,395 for Laharepauwa and; US$ 304,316 and US$ 2,359 for Tupche. However, a share of buffer zone and community forest programme are only 4% and 7% respectively. Buffer Zone program saved 2,351 working days annually or opportunity cost worth US$ 11,198. Likewise, Community Forestry programme saved forest collection times worth US$ 16,586.4. The study concludes that direct benefits of these programmes are not significant but indirect benefit by saving resources collection time is substantial. It is imperative to interpret result cautiously as poverty is multidimensional phenomenon and current study didn’t consider the capabilities of communities to cope poverty.

Indigenous forest conservation practices in Benue state, Nigeria.

This study investigated indigenous forest conservation practices in Benue State, Nigeria, to provide baseline information for improved forest conservation efforts in the State. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to select 10 out of 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the State for the study. Three hundred respondents from 150 households in the 10 LGAs were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. Data obtained were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Indigenous forest conservation practices were identified under three main indigenous conservation systems: laws and taboos, application of punitive measures on defaulters and Agroforestry. Apart from ‘no hunting without permission’, no Significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in the use of laws and taboos as indigenous conservation practices. Similarly, no significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in the application of punitive measures on defaulters as a conservation method across the ethnic groups except for the punishment of ‘making sacrifices’. No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in the use of Agroforestry as a conservation practice. Fire outbreak, secret and indiscriminate logging of timber and harvesting of non-timber forest products, grazing, and inadequate finance for mobilizing forest guards and hence insufficient forest guards were the main challenges of forest conservation efforts in the study area. No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in the challenges encountered.Key Words: Indigenous, Conservation Practices, Multi-stage, Ethnic groups, Laws, Taboos, Agroforestry, Challenges

Conservation of forest resources by rural farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria

This study assessed the conservation practices, forest resources available, roles of local organisations in forest conservation and constraints to conservation of forest resources in the area. Multi-stage sampling proceedure was used to select 100 respondents used for the study. Data were collected with the use of interview schedule and analysed with frequency distribution, percentages and mean scores. Result shows that greater percentage (96.7% and 76.7%) were male and between 31 and 40 years respectively. The prevailing conservation practice in the study area were enforcement of law against bush burning ( X = 4.3), legislation against indiscriminate felling of trees ( X =4.1) and restrictions on some areas ( X =4.0). Various forest resources available in the area included: timber (95%) and Bush meat (98.3%). The roles of local organisations in conserving forest resources included: prevention of clearing of forest area for agricultural purposes ( X = 3.3) and provision of forest guards for forest preservation. Constraints to conservation of forest resources included insufficient finance to conserve forest resources ( X =3.4) and lack of local people involvement in conservation decisions ( X = 3.3). This implies that there are many forest resources. Hence it was recommended that there should be provision of fund and involvement of rural people in making decisions for conservation of forest resources in the area. Keywords : Conservation, forest resources, farmers

Motivations of the community forest protection forces of the Manas Biosphere Reserve in Assam, India

Conservation with a high level of community involvement is proving to be an effective way to conserve forests with benefits for livelihoods and biodiversity. However, people’s motivations to participate in conservation in developing countries are not well studied or understood. One example of a highly successful community conservation program is the Golden Langur Conservation Project (GLCP) in the Manas Biosphere Reserve. The project was initiated in 1998 to protect the endangered golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) and its forested habitat. By 2005, community forest protection forces had been created and were successfully protecting the forest. They have been effective in stopping illegal poachers and confiscating illegally taken timber and wildlife. The objectives of this study are to describe the community forest guards’ motivations to participate in the program, and their perceptions of the project. Results show that these community-based guardians are motivated to participate by multiple factors: conservation, social benefits, and economic opportunities. Conservation of forests and wildlife seem to play the primary role in motivating guards to participate in conserving the forest. However, economic benefits and social benefits also play important roles.

A survey of the Endangered Barbary macaqueMacaca sylvanusin the Central High Atlas Mountains of Morocco

AbstractThe Barbary macaqueMacaca sylvanusis the only macaque in Africa. The species is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is listed in CITES Appendix II. This macaque has a relict distribution in Morocco and Algeria. Recent studies have indicated a dramatic decline of Barbary macaque populations in the Middle Atlas and Rif Mountains in Morocco but there is limited available information on its distribution in the Central High Atlas. We therefore conducted interviews with local officials and inhabitants, and carried out field surveys in 12 sites from February 2004 to December 2008. We found Barbary macaques in relatively small and fragmented habitats in 10 of the 12 sites. A total of 35 groups were sighted and 644 individuals counted. Mean group size was 21 (range 6–42). In all surveyed sites habitat destruction and pressure from livestock were apparent. The interviews indicated that the macaques are often found in the proximity of agricultural land, and that there is evidence of illegal capture in the Bas Oued El Abid and Haut Oued El Abid areas. To protect this species we recommend establishment of protected areas specifically for the Barbary macaque, increased surveillance by forest guards, enforcement of the law against capture of the species, and education of the local people.

Corruption and illegal logging in Ghana

Illegal logging is widespread in Ghana, a West African country with a history of rapid forest loss. While state forest management agencies have often attributed their inability to control illegal logging to lack of resources, this paper shows how corrupt practices also contribute to the problem. It has been demonstrated that as a result of neopatrimonialism and bureaucratic corruption, stated rules for awarding timber utilisation contracts have often been ignored. Similarly, although the activities of chainsaw operators have been banned, operators still rely on their corrupt networks with forest guards to harvest wood for sale. Corruption also affects the ability of the Forest Services Division to collect royalties and taxes from timber firms. As a result of these corrupt practices, the exploitation of forest resources is resulting in negative development outcomes. This paper suggests that improving the institutional framework of the state, legalising the operations of chainsaw operators and increasing th...

Notes on Ethnobotany of Ericaceae from the Eastern Himalayas and North-Eastern India

Ethnobotanical first hand information, mostly on traditional phytotherapies of 23 taxa in the family Ericaceae from different ethnic groups in the Eastern Himalayas and North-Eastern India, has been investigated. Besides some folk therapies for treating various human diseases, other uses such as vegetables, preparation of good quality jams and tart, insecticides, biofertilizers, fodder for cattles and making incence sticks are also described. Data presented are first hand and based on field studies with experienced and elderly tribal people, local medicine men and forest guards. All 23 taxa of Ericaceae were collected, botanically identified and voucher specimens were deposited in Central National Herbarium (CAL). The traditional pharmaceutical practice shows trends towards development and modernization in aspects like preparation of dosage forms, administration, use of additives and mode of uses.

Seroprevalence study of Tick‐borne encephalitis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Dengue and Toscana virus in Turin Province

Tick borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is present in some European countries and it is transmitted by a tick bite. Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of the infection in Italy, where fortunately clinical neurological manifestations, typical of the more serious phase of the disease, are very rarely observed. This behaviour is different from other endemic Euroasiatic areas where numerous cases of encephalitis are described. However TBE transmission has not been widely investigated in Italy and available epidemiological data have been obtained only by studies performed in Central and Northern Regions of the country. In addition seroepidemiological researches were made prevalently on subjects at high risk of tick bite, such as hunters or forest guards from Trentin and Central Italy. No precise information about TBE virus diffusion was available in the Piedmont before our investigations. We found that hunters and wild boar breeders seem to be particularly exposed to the risk of TBE virus infection in Turin Province and in particular in the Susa valley, although no neurological involvement was observed in our population. In particular a seroprevalence of about 5% was detected by the use of purified antigens ELISA test, amongst the subjects at high risk of tick bite. Moreover low risk individuals showed a seroprevalence of below 2%. In addition a parallel seroepidemiological study was performed in Turin Province for Borrelia burgdorferi, the aetiological agent of Lyme disease, also transmitted by tick bite (e.g. Ixodes ricinus), for Dengue and Toscana (TOS) arboviruses, respectively transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and phlebotomes. Data reported here demonstrate only a sporadic presence in our population of antibodies against Borrelia and Dengue infection. Moreover using an ELISA test performed with viral purified nucleoprotein, we reported a total percentage of about 3% of subjects positive for TOSV.

Evaluating Forest Management in Nepal: Views across Space and Time

This research follows the manner in which State-driven, upwardly accountable, forest decentralization programs play out on the ground, and evaluates their impact on forests and local institutions, a topic of much current concern and debate. In a landscape in Nepal's Terai plains, we conducted a census of 23 co-managed community and buffer-zone forest user groups—two predominant approaches to involving communities in forest-management activities in Nepal's Terai plains—to draw statistically relevant conclusions about the relative impact of these two programs at a landscape scale. We use a multi- date Landsat TM® image classification to develop a land-cover change classification, and use this to generate objective, quantitative, biophysical indicators that enable us to assess the extent of clearing and regeneration in the forest areas controlled and managed by each of these communities. In-depth field interviews with the communities provide us with information about the impact of these initiatives on local institutions. Finally, we link these two kinds of information sets to interpret the satellite information on forest-cover change with reference to the socioeconomic processes and management rules that influence forest-cover change in these regions. Satellite image analysis shows the regeneration of several patches of forest that are managed within the purview of the Royal Chitwan National Park's buffer-zone program. This can be related to high levels of investment in plantation and forest-management activities by external agencies. The substantial revenue that these communities derive from ecotourism also helps, allowing them to hire forest guards, and afford better monitoring capabilities. In contrast, the less wealthy, community- forestry user groups have to make do with volunteer patrols, and do not have the same level of external technical and financial support to invest in plantation activities. Buffer-zone users, however, have to deal with rather strict controls on export of forest products, which were put in place by park authorities, and which the users do not have the power to modify. Downward accountability is limited, and communities do not have a high degree of effective control over forest-management policies. Thus, local communities currently function under a situation of constraint, where they have been delegated responsibilities, but lack the devolution of property rights and decision-making power. This has significant and potentially negative implications for the future of the program.

L'importance des outils de planification forestière dans les opérations de relations publiques en Suisse | The importance of forestry planning tools in public relations operation in Switzerland

The current study examines the importance of planning and management documents (notably the forest management plan and the regional forest plan) for public relations purposes. 17 people (15 forest engineers and 2 forest guards) were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire.The results of our survey show that some of the information used for public relations is taken from the planning documents. The forest management plan is primarily considered to be an internal document, but it also provides information on the objectives of forest enterprises, justifications of the planned measures, numbers and maps. The regional forest plan contributes to the public relations in three ways: its content provides information about objectives, description of forest functions, projects and measures. In addition, the participation of the public in the process of elaborating this plan is an ideal opportunity to heighten awareness in society and further public understanding of the forest and forestry services. Finally, as the regional forest management plan is in the public domain, it functions as a type of «show case» of the forest service.

Policing the Forests of Pre-Industrial France: Round Up the Usual Suspects

Historians of crime and criminal justice have long debated the extent to which certain offences arose out of social antagonisms. Records of crimes such as poaching and wood-stealing seemed to encapsulate many of the tensions and inequalities of the pre-industrial (and proto-industrial) countryside. The theft of timber in particular is often assumed to be a product of the stark and pervasive poverty of Europe in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Yet other scholars have preferred to emphasize the self-interested nature of much rural criminality. Drawing on some of the procedural handbooks that offered advice to French forest guards, this study argues that those who policed the woodlands differentiated among various types of offences, whose likely perpetrators were presumed to form parallel hierarchies (of social status, occupation, etc.).

An investigation of land cover change in Mafungautsi Forest, Zimbabwe, using GIS and participatory mapping

This paper investigates the processes governing land cover change in and around the Mafungautsi Forest Reserve in Zimbabwe. This study site lies at the interface between the state and communal property regimes. Land cover change was analysed using aerial photography for 1976, 1984 and 1996 within a Geographic Information System (GIS). Perceived change and its causes were investigated through governmental data sources, participatory mapping and interviews with the local community and forest guards. It was found that whilst forest cover within the reserve has remained constant, it has been steadily declining outside its boundaries. This decline, a result of agricultural expansion and demand for building materials and firewood, was perceived as more pronounced by local farmers than by the forest authorities.

Naxi Women: Protection and Management of Forests in Lijiang, China

After a brief introduction to the research sites, this article describes Naxi patterns of forest ownership, the role of community forest guards, community rules governing forest use and management, management of the public mountain, traditional spiritual beliefs related to forest management, and the impact of social and policy factors on local forests and liveli hoods. Within this context, the Naxi women's relationship to forests is then discussed, cov ering changes in women's role in firewood collection and sale, the narrative of a Naxi woman forest guard, and the transformation from women-dominated to men-dominated society under the Confucian system introduced by Han Chinese. Lastly, some conclusions are offered on the condition and prospects of forest use and management in the two areas.

Warriors and Peasants: The Don Cossacks in Late Imperial Russia by Shane s> O'Rourke (review)

REVIEWS I63 the changing relationship between Finland and the Russian Empire.Jussila explains the nature of the government of Finland and the country's development as a nation and as a state. He shows how changes in the government of Russia, with the emergence of pluralistinstitutionsthere, had the effect of firstreducing and then practicallyending Finnish autonomy. In contrast to Jussila's part, those of Hentila and Nevakivi have no particular conceptual framework. Hentila provides a clear and balanced narrative of politicaland foreignrelations,though one would likea littlemore information about why things happened and, indeed, on how the republicanconstitution worked.The depressionat the end of the 1920S is mentioned but not how the government responded to it; perhaps this was thought beyond the remit of political history. Nevakivi, on the other hand, does give the economic background to political events. His part is almost remorselessly chronological -from governmentto government -but isgood on theradicalization of the I96os and on foreignpolicy. The authorsattemptedin the originalto cover a number of points in depth without interrupting the balance and flow of the narrative by introducing supplementarysections, 'box features',clearlydistinguishablefrom the restof the book. The translationhas inserted these into the ordinary text, often as separate chapters; this occasionally disturbs the logical progression of the work. In general the translationreads fluently, but poor editing has failed to remove a number of inconsistencies, odd usages or points unclear to a nonFinnishreader .Thus we have the 'SmallWrath'(p. 5) and the 'LesserWrath' (P. 17), 'autumn field practice' for 'autumn manoeuvres' (p. 2I8), 'war expedition' for 'campaign' (p. 220), and the literal but mysterious 'forest guards'for 'armedbands of deserters'(p. 20 1). Some Russianpersonalnames have been transliteratedin the Finnishway and some Finnishformsretained forplace-names in Russia. The table of MinisterState Secretariesomits those for 1905--I8. Careless proofreading is evident throughout the book. Part of the Finnish army was apparently 'demolished' rather than demobilized after the offensivephase of the Continuation War (p. 203). Perhapsthe most unfortunate misprint ever seen by this reviewer refersto the 'high morality' instead of 'high mortality' of the Red prisoners in I9I8 (p. 112). There is much to correctif the book is reprinted. An impressionremainsof the narrownessof the concept of politicalhistory. How much more rewardingthe book would have been had it ranged more widely into social, economic and culturalhistory.But it must be accepted on its own termsand it is undoubtedlya valuable addition to worksin Englishon modern and contemporaryFinnishhistory. London J. E. 0. SCREEN O'Rourke, Shane. Warriors andPeasants.TheDonCossacks inLateImperial Russia. Macmillan, Basingstokeand London, and St Martin's Press,New York, 2000. XiV + 200 Pp. Glossary.Maps. Notes. Tables.Bibliography.Index. /42.50. THE dissolution of the Soviet Union in I99I stimulated a short-lived enthusiasm for Cossack nationalism and a more lasting revival of interest in I64 SEER, 79, I, 2001 the Cossackpast. The resulthas been a risingnumberof publicationson their historyboth in Russia and the West. Shane O'Rourke's Warriors andPeasants is concerned with the Cossacks'economic and social condition ratherthan with their military role, and focuses squarely on the Don rather than telling the storyfrom the perspectiveof St Petersburg. O'Rourke drawson recordsin the oblast' archivein Rostov-on-Don as well as material in the Central Archive of the Ministry of War and an array of publishedsources.The book begins with a conspectusof Don Cossackhistory from I549 to I920 which is based on secondary sources, tinged with romanticism, and occasionally misleading. Cossack hatred of the Russian state (on which they were always dependent) is overstated; the claim that early Cossacks insisted that recruits profess the Christian faith is improbable (the very first Cossacks were renegade Tatars), and the assertion that sixteenth century Don Cossacks 'created a state that was independent of Muscovy' (p. 32) cannot be sustained. By contrast, the remainder of the book, which concentrates on the Don Host in the later nineteenth century, is a worthy and welcome contribution to the literature. Like T. M. Barrett in his recent study of the Terek Cossacks (At theEdge of Empire.7The Terek Cossacks andtheN'orth Caucasus Frontier I700-I86o, Boulder, CO, I999), O'Rourke adopts an ecological approach. There is a good chapter on soil characteristics, land-use, climate, woods, water and...

Naxi Women: Protection and Management of Forests in Lijiang, China

After a brief introduction to the research sites, this article describes Naxi patterns of forest ownership, the role of community forest guards, community rules governing forest use and management, management of the public mountain, traditional spiritual beliefs related to forest management, and the impact of social and policy factors on local forests and livelihoods. Within this context, the Naxi women’s relationship to forests is then discussed, covering changes in women’s role in firewood collection and sale, the narrative of a Naxi woman forest guard, and the transformation from women-dominated to men-dominated society under the Confucian system introduced by Han Chinese. Lastly, some conclusions are offered on the condition and prospects of forest use and management in the two areas.

Poachers Alter Mammal Abundance, Seed Dispersal, and Seed Predation in a Neotropical Forest

Abstract: We evaluated the hypothesis that poachers reduce the abundance of herbivorous mammals, and that this, in turn, alters seed dispersal, seed predation, and seedling recruitment for two palms (Attalea butyraceae and Astrocaryum standleyanum) in central Panama. Using physical evidence left by poachers and interviews with forest guards, we quantified poaching intensity for eight forest sites. We quantified mammal abundance using transect counts and small‐mammal traps. Abundance was inversely related to poaching intensity for 9 of 11 mammal species (significantly so for 5 species), confirming the first component of the hypothesis. The outcome of interactions among seeds, mammals, and beetles also varied with poaching intensity. Nonvolant mammals were the only seed‐dispersal agents, and rodents and beetles were the only seed predators. We quantified seed fate by examining the stony endocarps that encase the seeds of both palms. The large, durable endocarps were located easily on the forest floor and bear characteristic scars when a rodent or beetle eats the enclosed seed. The proportion of seeds dispersed away from beneath fruiting conspecifics was inversely related to poaching intensity, ranging from 85% to 99% at protected sites where mammals were abundant and from 3% to 40% at unprotected sites where poachers were most active. The proportion of dispersed seeds destroyed by beetles was directly related to poaching intensity, ranging from 0% to 10% at protected sites and from 30% to 50% at unprotected sites. The proportion of dispersed seeds destroyed by rodents was inversely related to poaching intensity, ranging from 85% to 99% at protected sites and from 4% to 50% at unprotected sites. Finally, seedling densities were directly related to poaching intensity. There was no single relationship between poaching intensity and the biotic interactions that determine seedling recruitment. The net effect of poaching on seedling recruitment can be determined only empirically. For these palms, seedling densities were directly related to poaching intensity.

Physical dosimetry and biological indicators of carcinogenic risk in a cohort of persons exposed to unhealthy ecological factors following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident.

The April 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident caused ecological changes in the Ovruch State forests in the Zhytomir oblast in the Ukraine. The highest radioactivity existed in moss, followed by the pine-forest substrate and soil. During 1984-1985, the pine needles were primarily surface contaminated, whereas during 1986-1988, they were contaminated secondarily. Radioactivity in air was highest (1.07+/-0.185 Bq/l) during dry and sunny weather and when trees were felled; the lowest levels (0.196+/-0.044 Bq/l) occurred during periods of stable snow coverage. Between 1987 and 1989 (i.e., after the Chernobyl accident), the caesium levels in forestry employees exceeded by 13.9-fold the average levels found in the Ukrainian Polessje population. Ovruch forest guards and woodcutters had the highest effective equivalent doses of radiation, and they therefore exhibited the highest carcinogenic risk.

Using forest guards to protect a biological reserve in Costa Rica: one step towards linking parks to people

Abstract The paper examines a forest guard system protecting Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica. Using field observation, interviews and content analysis of records, the study determines the major threats facing the reserve from the local population. These threats, which include hunting, squatting and logging, are dealt with by the guards not just by creating barriers but by the guards as linkages among the many participants in the region. Community, institutional, legal and ecological linkages are identified, described and measured. The community linkage is recognized as particularly important because the Reserve's protection will be greatly enhanced if the community itself becomes ‘the guards’ and protects the Reserve. Policy recommendations are made based on the results.

Assam's rhinos face new poaching threats

Assam, in north-east India, is the main stronghold for the great Indian rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis, with most of the 1500 or so individuals that live there concentrated in parks and sanctuaries. Despite valiant efforts to protect them, the forest guards are poorly equipped and no match for poachers armed with automatic weapons or those who make use of high-voltage power lines to electrocute the animals. The authors have discussed the many problems besetting rhino conservation in Assam with wildlife officials and they make several recommendations that would improve the situation.

Brazilian policies that encourage deforestation in the Amazon

This paper shows that general tax policies, special tax incentives, the rules of land allocation, and the agricultural credit system all accelerate deforestation in the Amazon. These policies increase the size of land holdings and reduce the chances of the poor to become farmers. The key provisions include: the virtual exemption of agricultural income from income taxation; rules of public land allocation that provide incentives for deforestation because the security of a claim is determined by land clearing; a progressive land tax that contains provisions that encourage the conversion of forest to crop land or pasture; a tax credit scheme aimed toward corporate livestock ranches that subsidizes inefficient ranches established on cleared forest land; and subsidized credit available for SUDAM-approved ranches. These distorting provisions must be removed before afforestation projects and programs can succeed. Afforestation and settlement projects should take into account theeffect of these distortions, and the projects should thus have modest expectations. While reducing perverse economic incentives for deforestation will slow down the destruction of the Amazon forest, incentive policies alone are not enough. A coherent systems of land use planning that sets aside more marginal lands in forest reserves and establishes biological reserves is also required. Even under the best incentives regimes, these reserves, as well as Indian reservations, will have to be protected by the power of the law and its enforcement agents. As part of this strategy, forest guards must be given greater incentives to enforce forest preservation laws currently in place.