Impacts of community forestry on the livelihoods of local people in Mindon township, Magway region, Myanmar : the difference-in-differences approach | |
| Author | Aung Si Thu Thein |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.NR-20-01 |
| Subject(s) | Community forests--Myanmar--Magway Forest Management--Myanmar--Magway |
| Note | A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Natural Resources Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. NR-20-01 |
| Abstract | In Myanmar, demands for firewood and other non-timber forest products (NTFPs) increase dramatically as basic needs of rural people for both subsistence and income generation activities for their livelihoods and community forests play important role to cater to their basic needs. Therefore, this study was carried out with the main objective to assess the impacts of community forestry on the livelihoods of local people in three community forests in Mindon Township, Magway Region, Myanmar by using panel data with the difference-in-differences approach. According to the statistical results, annual agricultural income of local people was significantly and negatively affected by community forests establishment because of banning shifting cultivations and consequently led to a significant negative impact on the agricultural livelihood strategy for crop productions. On the contrary, annual livestock income received a significant positive impact due to securing tenure because households in community forest user groups (CFUGs) implemented more livestock breeding and used community forests for pasturing. The forestry livelihood strategy and annual forestry income was not significantly affected because the villages of the studied community forests did not have access to electricity yet and their daily lives depended mainly on firewood and bamboo for energy, fencing, and agricultural activities. Besides, community forestry had a significant positive impact on quantity of NTFPs collection by local people for subsistence purposes, though it had no significant impact on quantity of NTFPs collected for commercial purposes. Moreover, community forestry enabled local people to save time and energy as it contributed to curtailing the time (hours per day) and distance needed to travel for NTFPs collection. However, it is important to note that CFUG households needed to implement more silvicultural activities in the area of existing forest management, as opposed to plantations, in order to cater to their community forests’ objectives. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the Forest Department carry out more training and extension services as well as strengthen cooperation with the management committees of community forests so as to promote willingness and participation in CFUGs. Moreover, consideration of community forests products for commercial purposes enhance livelihoods of local people in long-term. |
| Year | 2020 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. NR-20-01 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Natural Resources Management (NRM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Tsusaka, Takuji W.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Sasaki, Nophea;Szabo, Sylvia Maria |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Loom Nam Khong Pijai (Greater Mekong Subregion) Scholarships; |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2020 |