Assessing the role of forest resources in improving rural livelihoods in West Bengal of India

Forest resources play a vital role in supporting the livelihoods of rural communities residing in forest-rich areas.In India,a forest-rich country,a significant proportion of non-timber forest products(NTFPs)is consumed locally,supporting numerous rural communities relying on forests for essential resources,such as firewood,timber,and NTFPs.This study focuses on two forest-dominant districts in West Bengal of India,namely,Jhargram District and Paschim Medinipur District.Furthermore,this study aims to enhance the understanding of forest-dependent communities by comparing the standard of living among different village classes.Thus,we categorized villages into three classes based on the distance from home to forests,including inner villages,fringe villages,and outer villages.Through focus group discussions and household surveys,we explored the sources of local economy,income sources of household,and reasons for economic diversification in different village classes.The study findings confirm that substantial variations existed in the income sources and the standard of living in these villages.Forest income varied dramatically among the three village classes,with inner villages having greater forest income than fringe villages and outer villages.Meanwhile,households in outer villages depended on forests and engaged in diverse economic activities for their livelihoods.Compared with inner and fringe villages,households in outer villages derived a significant portion of their income from livestock.This discrepancy can be attributed to challenges,such as inadequate transportation,communication,and underdeveloped market chains in inner villages.Moreover,these findings emphasize the need to develop sustainable forest management practices,create alternative income-generation opportunities,and improve infrastructure and market access in inner villages,as well as promote economic diversification in outer villages.Through targeted policy measures,these forest-rich regions can achieve improved livelihoods,enhanced standard of living,and increased resilience for their communities.

Forest resources variation along with the main rivers in typical forest re-gion of Changbai Mountain

The restoration of the riparian vegetation disturbed by human activities is one of the hotspots of watershed ecology. Through interpreting the images of Remote Sensing in 1985 and 1999, the basic information of forest resources of Lushuihe Forest Bureau, which is a typical forest area of Changbai Mountain, was obtained with support of GIS. By dividing Land covers of Lushuihe area into 10 types (water body, residential land, stump land, farming land, wetland, mature conifer forest, midlife conifer forest, mature broadleaf forest, midlife broadleaf forest, and man-made young forest) and dividing the riparian zone into four buffers (in turn, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 m away from the river), the changes of riparian forest resources during 1985-1999 were analyzed. The results showed that the deforestation intension has obviously decreased and the whole environment has been evidently improved, but the riparian ecosystem was still flimsy. In buffer 1, 2, 3, the area of midlife conifer forest increased largely, but the areas of other types of land covers all decreased. Midlife conifer forest had a comparatively good status in the three buffers. In buffer 4, midlife conifer forest, mature conifer forest, and mature broadleaf forest formed a forest-age rank that is helpful to stabilize the forest ecosystem and exert its functions. Area percentage of wetland decreased in buffer 1, buffer 2, and buffer 3, even in buffer 4 in which forest ecosystem rehabilitated comparatively well, so protecting and rehabilitating wetland is a very difficult task.

Forest Resources Management Information System for Forest Farms Based on Remote Sensing Images and Web GIS

This study was to estabIish the forest resources management information system for forest farms based on the B/S structural WebGIS with trial forest farm of Hunan Academy of Forestry as the research field, forest resources field survey da-ta, ETM＋ remote sensing data and basic geographical information data as research material through the extraction of forest resource data in the forest farm, require-ment analysis on the system function and the estabIishment of required software and hardware environment, with the alm to realize the management, query, editing, analysis, statistics and other functions of forest resources information to manage the forest resources.

Development of component geographic information systems applying in forest resources management

The history, current situation, and development trend of GIS (Geographic Information System) applied in the forest resources management were discussed in this paper. On the basis of geographic spatial characteristics of forest resources data, a component geographic information system (ComGIS) was developed for forest resources management. The system embeds a GIS ActiveX control MapObjects (Inc. ESRI) on Visual C++ platform. System design, data organization and achieving way were studied and expatiated by taking Xigangzi Forestry Centre as study object. The system has many useful functions,, such as adding and display of various map layers, zoom of map by wheeling mouse, attribute and spatial data querying, map auto roaming, features rendering based on the spatial trait of data, label controlling through attribute data band with vector graph, as well as output of 'Column chart' for showing the result of statistics. At the same time, parts of source codes are attached.

Dynamic analysis and evaluation of Xinjiang forest resources:based on RS and GIS

The forest resources in Xinjiang were surveyed and analyzed based on RS and GIS. Satellite data interpretation was adopted to obtain the general situation of Xinjiang forest resources in assistance with the sampling method and on-the-spot investigations. Based on GIS, related data obtained from satellite remote sensing in 1996 and 2001 were studied through contrastive analysis. Moreover, the dynamic variation of Xinjiang forest resources was studied in an all-around way. In the past five years, the areas of the forestland, woodland, sparse woodland, nursery garden and the land usable for forestry in Xinjiang kept growing, moreover, the forest cover rate and the total standing stock volume increased correspondingly, showing that the wooded area and the amount of growing stock in Xinjiang were increasing. The forestland area in Xinjiang went up to 17,837 km^2 from 17,331 km^2, with an annual average increase of 101 km^2. Accordingly, the forest vegetation came to 1.08% from 1.05%, up 0.03 percentage point; the total standing stock volume went up to 289,985,200 m^3 from 262,416,000 m^3, a total increase of 27,569,200 m^3, an annual average increase of 5,514,000 m^3 and an annual average net growth rate of 2.00%. The analysis results showed that the forest resources in Xinjiang were increasing on the whole, however, there remained some problems, such as the sparse natural forests, low forest cover rate, imbalanced wood age structure, and mono tree species composition, etc.

STUDY OF SETTING UP THE FOREST RESOURCES MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM BASED ON WEBGIS

Based on an analysis of the characteristics of the Forest Resources Management Information System of each development phase, and consideration of the technical trend in Geographic Information System (GIS) in the Internet Age, this paper explores the importance and the feasibility of setting up Forest Resources Management Information System based on the WEBGIS. At the same time, based on the experience of our study, the paper explores the function, structure and method of developing the Forest Resources Management Information System based on WEBGIS. With the technology of WEBGIS, the Forest Resources Management Information System with data from Huoditang Farm was set up, which makes a great impact on forest resources management. So setting up the Forest Resources Management Information System based on WEBGIS is a trend of forest resources management. In the course of setting up this system, we must pay attention to following questions: 1) unify data standard and information encoding; 2) change mind.

Development of mobile GIS system for forest resources second-class inventory

A special mobile GIS（Geographic Information System） system used for forest resources second-class inventory was developed on the basis of traditional forest resources inventory,remote sensing,GPS（Globe Positioning System） and embedded technology.Portable instrument,embedded development and the integration technology of RS（Remote Sensing）,GIS and GPS are all used in this special mobile GIS system.Further,the system composition,key techniques,and current situation of the practical application in China were analyzed in the study.The results are important for applying modern high-tech for the planning and design of digital forest resources to improve the precision and efficiency of inventory and reduce the labor cost and financial investment.

THE DYNAMIC SIMULATION MODEL OF MANAGEMENT FOREST RESOURCES SYSTEM

The regional forest resource structure was analyzed and a dynamic simulation model of management forest resource system was set up. By this model, different changable results of forest resource in Mudanjiang District of Heilongjiang Province wer simulated and analyzed under different management policies using of computers. Then an optimum managent forest resource plan was selected. In addition, it also provides an effective theoretical basis for decision maker to draw up a precise development forestry strategic plan for some region.

GIS-Approach to Estimate Ground Transport Accessibility of Forest Resources (Case Study: Novosibirsk Region, Siberian Federal District, Russia)

In the big forest countries, there is an actual challenge of accessing the forests for their resources, operational wildfire management, and economic estimations for various purposes. In Russia, there are two ways to access the forests: by air and by ground means. The first way is quite expensive for any country. The second one is less expensive but has the spatial planning challenges to create access routes by existing public roads and forest glades. Regional authorities and firefighting departments are paying attention to the access by ground means, but there is a certain room to improve their management and cooperation methods on a limited budget. These tasks could be solved by GIS-technologies in a more operational manner to automate the routes’ construction especially during the fire season. We used combined geoinformation technology (developed previously) and satellite product, namely vegetation map from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to estimate how accessible any forest area is when moving by public roads and forest glades from a fire station as a starting point. These stations are the main centers to fight the forest fires within the territory of ground protection zones in Russia and we have considered them as the logistic centers to manage the forest resources also. Transport model was created in two variants: no-barriers and barriers-based (forestries). By using these two models we have shown two different scenarios of action. The key area was Novosibirsk Region located in the Siberian Federal District, Russia. We have created a series of maps to show the transport accessibility of forest areas from the fire stations. Estimation of “located” pixels or forest areas accessible from the fire stations for the key area is about 66% - 83%;the most accessible forest type is mixed forests. The number of inaccessible pixels has been increased by more than two times in barriers scenario. Technology can be used for different thematic data sources and domains like ecology or economy.

Local People＇s Perception of Forest Resources Conservation in Ekiti State, Nigeria

This study examines local people＇s perception of forest resources （FR） conservation around two plantation forest reserves （PFR） and two natural forest reserves （NFR） in Ekiti State in order to determine the factors that can contribute to sustainable FR conservation. Questionnaire and interview were used to collect data from 240 respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. 75.0% and 86.1% of respondents around PFR recognized the importance of conserving the FR for economic benefits and biodiversity respectively, while 66.7% would not want the FR conserved for cultural values. 82.9% of respondents around NFR would want the FR conserved for economic benefits, while 74.3% and 66.7% would not want the forest conserved for cultural values and biodiversity respectively. For efficient conservation, participation in forest management and involvement in decision making with means of 3.45 and 3.52 ranked highest in PFR and NFR respectively. Probit regression analysis showed that in PFR and NFR, age, education and income were positively significant to FR conservation （p 〈 0.05）. Creating an enabling environment that will make local people appreciate historical cultural values of the forest for tourism is essential for efficient FR conservation in the study area.

The Role of “Long Forest” Belief of the Dai Nationality in the Conservation of Forest Resources: A Case Study of Manjingchengzi Village in Xishuangbanna

The core of"Long Forest"belief of the Dai nationality is to protect natural forests and forests for conservation of water supply as the home of ancestral gods of the nation and to maintain the ecological balance by means of"Long Forest"worship,"Long Forest"taboo,the traditional customary law,and village regulation and non-governmental agreement.This paper takes Manjingchengzi Village in Xishuangbanna as an example to analyze the distribution of forest land in different periods over the past 60 years and explore the role of"Long Forest"belief in the conservation of local forest resources in a view to providing a frame of reference for regional ecological environment protection.

A Review and Reflection of Value Account of Forest Resources

The framework of forest valuation accounting has been formed through the development stages of timber value calculation, forest ecosystem valuation and entire value accounting of forest resources, including the forest values of resources in kind, environmental resources and social benefits in China. These theory and methods still face deviation of theories and methods from vague position of discipline, larger accounting results from ignoring differences between forest ecological functions and ecosystem services, and unrealistic and other problems from non-standard index system and accounting methods due to the development history and other reasons. Five suggestions are proposed to make explicit the object and purpose of the forest resource value accounting, establish universal, scientific, measurable and concise index system for value evaluation, calculate forest resources value in consideration of forest type and position, distinguish accurately the functions from benefits of the forest resources, and suit value calculation result to the practice of social economy.

Contribution of Sumalindo Company:In Managing Forest Resources with Local Communities:Mahakam Ulu-East Kalimantan

The role of HPH(Forest Logging Concession)in developing rural communities is very significant.SLJ(Sumalindo Lestari Jaya)as HPH company has an important contribution in empowering local communities,especially in opening land transportation in the interior and helping to build agriculture and gardens.The existence of Sumalindo company participates in developing forest resource management with local communities,among others,increasing livelihoods,maintaining and developing biodiversity conservation and maintaining climate change.These efforts are in accordance with the regulations of the KLHK(Ministry of Environment and Forestry),that every HPH holder is required(mandatory)to obtain a certificate of“PHAPL”(Sustainable Production Natural Forest Management)and an“eco label”from the Indonesian Eco Label Institute.Besides,it is recommended that the holders of HPH concessions and HTI(Industrial Timber Plantations)have an FSC(Forest Stewardship Council)certificate from the EU(European Union),and must meet three indicator elements,namely economic,social and ecological in SFM(Sustainable Forest Management).This article examines three critical questions that show the role of Sumalindo Company in economic,ecological and social development and managing forest resources with the community as follows:(1)The role of Sumalindo company contributes to the development of road infrastructure in the interior;(2)The role of Sumalindo in improving livelihoods and economic and social empowerment of local communities;(3)The role of Sumalindo with local communities in managing forest resources,including maintaining and developing biodiversity conservation and maintaining climate change.

The Dependency of Coastal Livelihood on Forest Resources, and Alternative Options in the Periphery of the Sundarbans Reserve Forest, Patharghata, Bangladesh

Dependency on forest resources poses a threat to the environment in Patharghata, Bangladesh. Therefore, this study explores the role of forest resource in the life and livelihood of coastal people as well as to understand the effectiveness of forest and status of forest dependency in and around south-central coast in Patharghata, Bangladesh. We collected data randomly from 105 household heads through both open and close-ended questionnaire. To investigate the forest dependency and people’s perception regarding alternative solutions, Microsoft excel software program has been applied. The findings reveal that usage of fuelwood in cooking, housing structure, fish catching, honey & fodder collection significantly contributes to household dependency on forest resources, while other variables seem to be insignificant. Our study amplifies that the share of forest income to the total household income was only 19% while other earning sources provided 81% income. The result shows that respondent people collect forest resources primarily for cooking purpose with a share of 71% where 9% forest resources are collected as fodder followed by 8% forest resource collection as food and sheltering purposes. Moreover, the study found that using alternative cooking system, artificial instruments, declaring the forest as tourist spot, changes in housing structure, occupation are some effective options to reduce forest dependency. The study concludes that these alternative options need more financial and other support from the government, non-government and other civil society organizations to cut down forest resource dependency.

Forest Resources and Environment in China

With a vast territory, China is rich in forest resources and diversified environments. The changes in forest resources have a direct bearing on environmental quality. The paper gives a detailed account of the dynamic change in forest resources in China, including the overall process of forest evolution, the status quo and features of the existing forest resources and the development and use of major forest resources. In addition, it analyses the current situation of China's environment and explores the main contributing factors based on the overall environmental situation. In order to achieve sustainable management of forest resources and improve the environment in China, the Chinese government attaches great importance to the protection and development of forest resources as well as environmental development and improvement. The paper gives an overview of the thinking for sustainable forest resource and environmental development in the future and current focus of efforts.

Investigation of forest-resources potential of Selenge River Basin on transboundary territory of the Republic of Buryatia and Mongolia

The author studied the issues of the present-day status of forest resources and forest management of the Selenge River Basin on the transboundary territory of the Buryat Republic and Mongolia. It is necessary to establish a good policy for wood cutting of the main and secondary use and reforestation.

Investigation and Analysis of Chinese Enterprises Exploiting Forest Resources in Russia

Based on collected data and information from journals, newspapers, internet and reports, the main distribution regions of China’s enterprises in Russia were presented firstly. According to the investigation by questionnaire and telephone, the general situation of Chinese enterprises exploiting forest resources in Russia was introduced and analyzed. The main difficulties faced by Chinese enterprises in Russia were summarized. Future trends faced by Chinese enterprises, such as increasing competition, encouraging timber downstream processing projects, increasing exploiting costs and more preferential policies on developing forest resources, were described in the end.