TY - JOUR

T1 - Socio-economic Context of Forest Biodiversity Use along a Town–Forest Gradient in Cambodia

AU - Motzke, Iris

AU - Wanger, Thomas Cherico

AU - Zanre, Erin

AU - Tscharntke, Teja

AU - Barkmann, Jan

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Little is known about the impact of socio-economic conditions for biodiversity conservation in Cambodia. High deforestation rates and a politically unstable recent past indicate a problematic setting for conservation efforts. Here, we studied a forest–town gradient along four villages between a populationcentre (i.e., Siem Reap) and the forest of the Phnom Kulen National Park in rural north-western Cambodia.We analysed whether rural communities’ dependence on forest resource extraction precludes strict forest and national park protection. A total of 149 structured interviews in four local communities revealed a rapid advance of a typical forest frontier. With increasing distance to town, small businesses as income sources decreased, whereas forest-related activities and slash-and-burn agriculture increased. Local residents were strongly dependent on forest resource extraction, especially on fuel wood, and land use for slash-and-burn agriculture as cash and subsidence income sources. Most forest resources—especially large-bodied wildlife species and timber, both used predominantly by households with a better asset-based index of wealth—wererated as diffi cult to fi nd. No signifi cant relationship between the use of non-timber forest products and wealth could be identifi ed. We conclude that the importance of forest resources increases with proximity to the forest,however, households rely on forest resources for income supplementation rather than for primary income.To prevent the continued degradation of forests, their resources and related biodiversity, greater community engagement and capacity building in sustainable forest management practices combined with stricter lawenforcement, and protection from harvesters from outside of the local communities are required.

AB - Little is known about the impact of socio-economic conditions for biodiversity conservation in Cambodia. High deforestation rates and a politically unstable recent past indicate a problematic setting for conservation efforts. Here, we studied a forest–town gradient along four villages between a populationcentre (i.e., Siem Reap) and the forest of the Phnom Kulen National Park in rural north-western Cambodia.We analysed whether rural communities’ dependence on forest resource extraction precludes strict forest and national park protection. A total of 149 structured interviews in four local communities revealed a rapid advance of a typical forest frontier. With increasing distance to town, small businesses as income sources decreased, whereas forest-related activities and slash-and-burn agriculture increased. Local residents were strongly dependent on forest resource extraction, especially on fuel wood, and land use for slash-and-burn agriculture as cash and subsidence income sources. Most forest resources—especially large-bodied wildlife species and timber, both used predominantly by households with a better asset-based index of wealth—wererated as diffi cult to fi nd. No signifi cant relationship between the use of non-timber forest products and wealth could be identifi ed. We conclude that the importance of forest resources increases with proximity to the forest,however, households rely on forest resources for income supplementation rather than for primary income.To prevent the continued degradation of forests, their resources and related biodiversity, greater community engagement and capacity building in sustainable forest management practices combined with stricter lawenforcement, and protection from harvesters from outside of the local communities are required.

KW - Biology

KW - Conservation planning

KW - distance gradient

KW - forest resource use

KW - shifting cultivation

KW - Southeast Asia

KW - wealth index

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - conservation planning

KW - distance gradient

KW - forest resource use

KW - shifting cultivation

KW - Southeast Asia

KW - wealth index

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84878278072&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Journal articles

SP - 37

EP - 53

JO - Raffles Bulletin of Zoology

JF - Raffles Bulletin of Zoology

SN - 0217-2445

IS - SUPPL.25

ER -