Quantitative and qualitative analysis of non-timber forest product after change in National Park Designation of Parah Forest in Thailand

Abstract

Aim: Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are an important aspect of forests and forest use in many parts of the world. The present study aims at examining how local communities have changed their ways of NTFP utilization in the Parah forest after Khao Nan National Park was designated as a national park in the year 2009. Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted using 150 randomly selected households from four villages bordering the Parah forest, Khao Nan National Park. The questionnaires were divided into two categories: socio-economics and NTFP utilization. The socio-economics of the interviewees were composed of gender, age group, marital status, education level, number of members/household, principle occupation and level of income. Income was categorized into three income categories, which ranged from poor (<334 $/month), moderate (334-500 $/month) and rich (>500 $/month), based on the Thailand minimum daily wage. NTFP utilization composed of type of NTFP, harvested quantity and harvesting frequency. Results: NTFPs from the Parah forest were used by 74.67 % of villagers. No differences in the amount of all NTFPs obtained in 2007 and 2015 were found. However, the price of NTFPs has increased over the years, and so the value of NTFPs in the Parah forest in 2015 reached 2,773.36 US Dollars/household, which was much higher than that reported in 2007. The frequency of the NTFPs that were harvested by villagers, ranked from highest to lowest, were as follows: Parah seeds, honey, stink bean fruits (Parkia speciosa), fruits of Archidendron spp., termite mushrooms (Termitomyces spp.), fruits of Parkia javanica, medicinal plants, jiringa fruits (Archidendron jiringa), fruits of Sandoricum koetjape and bamboo shoots. The harvesting quantityofNTFPsdidnotchange after Khao Nan National Park was designated as a National Parkintheyear2009. Interpretation: The existence of a variety of Parah NTFPs are of great importance to the villagers; therefore future planning is needed for conservation and sustainable utilization.