Plant Diversity, Traditional Utilization, and Community-Based Conservation of the Small-Scale Nong Sakae Community Forest in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Additional Files
This study aimed to investigate plant diversity, traditional utilization, and create a web-based application for sustainable community-based utilization management of the small-scale Nong Sakae Community Forest, Dan Chak sub-district, Non Thai district, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Our results revealed 29 plant species belonging to 21 genera. Notably, the Fabaceae family dominated the forest and comprised seven species, including two recognized as invasive species. Diversity indices revealed a moderate level of species diversity, with Shannon–Weaver (H’) and Simpson's diversity indices at 1.7844 and 0.6076, respectively. Species richness indices involving Margalef and Menhinick were 4.3805 and 1.1869, respectively, whereas evenness was 0.5414. The most ecologically significant species was Vietnamosasa ciliata A. Camus, which exhibited the highest importance value index (IVI) at 63.4321. Furthermore, the community forest served as a sustenance for the local community for food, medicinal herbs, and timber, emphasizing its significance in supporting their livelihoods. However, this forest has faced encroachment, forest fires, and littering. A web-based mapping system has made forest information more available and understandable, enabling informed decision making and effective forest management. This study offers valuable insights into biodiversity and ecosystem functions in the Nong Sakae Community Forest, emphasizing the need for collaboration and effective policy development in conservation efforts.
Agarwal, S., Sairorkham, B., Sakitram, P., & Lambin, E. F. (2022). Effectiveness of community forests for forest conservation in Nan province, Thailand. Journal of Land Use Science, 17(1), 307–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/1747423x.2022.20 78438
Bekele, M., Woldeyes, F., Lulekal, E., Bekele, T., & Demissew, S. (2022). Ethnobotanical investigation of medicinal plants in Buska Mountain range, Hamar district, Southwestern Ethiopia. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 18, 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-022-00558-0
Brockerhoff, E. G., Barbaro, L., Castagneyrol, B., Forrester, D. I., Gardiner, B., González-Olabarria, J. R., ... & Jactel, H. (2017). Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Biodiversity and Conservation, 26(13), 3005–3035. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1453-2
Cordero, C. S., Meve, U., & Alejandro, G. J. D. (2023). Ethnobotany and diversity of medicinal plants used among rural communities in Mina, Iloilo, Philippines: A quantitative study. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 16(1), 96-117. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2022.12.003
Ghimire, P., & Lamichhane, U. (2020). Community based forest management in Nepal: Current status, successes and challenges. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 3(2), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.03022
Kabir, M. E., & Webb, E. L. (2006). Saving a forest: the composition and structure of a deciduous forest under community management in northeast Thailand. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society, 54(2), 63-84.
Kent, M., & Coker, P. (1992). Vegetation Description and Analysis: A Practical Approach. John Wiley and Sons.
Khongswasdi, J. (2022). Community Forests as Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Community Forest Act of 2019. The Journal of the Siam Society, 110(1), 69-86.
Liu, J., Hu, D., Wang, H., Jiang, L., & Lv, G. (2022). Scale Effects on the Relationship between Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Arid Desert Areas. Forests, 13(9), 1505. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091505
Luz, A. C. & Ruíz-Mallén, I. (2020). Community-Based Management and Research to Forest Conservation. In Filho, W. L., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., & Wall, T. (Eds.), Life on Land (pp. 148–161). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95981-8_133
Maestre, F. T., Quero, J. L., Gotelli, N. J., Escudero, A., Ochoa, V., Delgado-Baquerizo, M., ... & Zaady, E. (2012). Plant species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality in global drylands. Science, 335(6065), 214-218. https://doi.org/10.1126/science. 1215442
Magona, N., Richardson, D. M., Le Roux, J. J., Kritzinger-Klopper, S., & Wilson, J. R. (2018). Even well-studied groups of alien species might be poorly inventoried: Australian Acacia species in South Africa as a case study. NeoBiota, 39, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.39.23135
Manning, P. K. (2017). Ecosystem Multifunctionality. Oxford Bibliographies. https:// doi.org/10.1093/OBO/9780199830060-0170
Mulya, H., Santosa, Y., & Hilwan, I. (2021). Comparison of four species diversity indices in mangrove community. Biodiversitas: Journal of Biological Diversity, 22(9), 3648–3655. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d220906
National Statistical Office of Thailand. (2021). Proportion of the population using mobile phones. National Statistical Office of Thailand. Retrieved from https://data.go.th/dataset/os_16_00042
Newton, P., Kinzer, A. T., Miller, D. C., Oldekop, J. A., & Agrawal, A. (2020). The number and spatial distribution of forest-proximate people globally. One Earth, 3(3), 363–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.08.016
Noinarai, T., Sunthornhao, P., & Pothitan, R. (2020). Utilization of Non-Timber Forest Products by the Local Communities around Phu Laen Kha National Park, Chaiyaphum Province. Thai Journal of Forestry, 39(2), 137–150.
ONEP. (2009). Thailand: National Report on the Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Ortiz-Burgos, S. (2016). Shannon-Weaver Diversity Index. In Kennish, M. J. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Estuaries (pp. 572-573). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_233
Phuong, V. N. T. (2022). Web Mapping for forest environmental services of protected areas. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1028(1), 012009. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1028/1/012009
RDF. (2022). Preparation information on the forest area condition in the year 2022. Royal Department of Forestry, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok, Thailand. Retrieved from https://www.forest.go.th/land/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2023/01/Forest -Area-2565-Full_compressed.pdf
RDF. (2023). Community forest information according to the Community Forest Act 2019. Royal Department of Forestry, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok, Thailand. Retrieved from https://www.forest.go.th/community-extension/category/database/
Rundel, P. W., Boonpragob, K., & Patterson, M. (2017). Seasonal water relations and leaf temperature in a deciduous dipterocarp forest in Northeastern Thailand. Forests, 8(10), 368. https://doi.org/10.3390/f8100368
Saisor, N., Prathepha, P., & Saensouk, S. (2021). Ethnobotanical study and utilization of plants in Khok Nhong Phok forest, Kosum Phisai district, northeastern Thailand. Biodiversitas: Journal of Biological Diversity, 22(10), 4336-4348. https://doi.org/ 10.13057/biodiv/d221026
Shackleton, C. M., & de Vos, A. (2022). How many people globally actually use non-timber forest products?. Forest Policy and Economics, 135, 102659. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102659
Sulistiyowati, E., Setiadi, S., & Haryono, E. (2023). The dynamics of sustainable livelihoods and agroforestry in Gunungkidul Karst Area, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Forest and Society, 7(2), 222–246. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v7i2.21886
Thammanu, S., Han, H., Marod, D., Zang, L., Jung, Y., Soe, K. T., ... & Chung, J. (2021). Non-timber forest product utilization under community forest management in northern Thailand. Forest Science and Technology, 17(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/21580103.2020.1862712
Utaminingrum, W., Nofrianti, N., & Hartanti, D. (2022). Diversity and use of medicinal plants for traditional women’s health care in Northern Banyumas, Indonesia. Biodiversitas: Journal of Biological Diversity, 23(4), 1970-1976. https://doi.org/ 10.13057/biodiv/d230431
Copyright (c) 2024 Forest and Society
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open access journal which means that all contents is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the Publisher. An article based on a section from a completed graduate dissertation may be published in Forest and Society, but only if this is allowed by author's(s') university rules. The Editors reserve the right to edit or otherwise alter all contributions, but authors will receive proofs for approval before publication.
Forest and Society operates a CC-BY 4.0 © license for journal papers. Copyright remains with the author, but Forest and Society is licensed to publish the paper, and the author agrees to make the article available with the CC-BY 4.0 license. Reproduction as another journal article in whole or in part would be plagiarism. Forest and Society reserves all rights except those granted in this copyright notice