• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2009

Forests render both a home and a livelihood for people living in and around them. To reconcile the need of local communities with conservation, the Nishorgo Support Project (NSP or Nishorgo) is supporting co-management in five protected areas of Bangladesh, including Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary. The main focus of this study is to assess the effectiveness of alternate income generating activities (AIGAs) which is provided by the Nishorgo Support Project. It is a tool for reducing dependence on forest resources by people living in and around Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary and also play effective role in forest conservation. This study compares the socioeconomic condition (income, living style etc.) and forest dependency before and after implementation of co-management activities in Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary. A total of 11 villages (sampling intensity was 31%) namely Kalibari, Mongoliabari, Chokidarbari, Chonbari, kalenga, Krishnochura, Hatimara, Himalia, Rashidpur, Goramchori and Horinmara were studied. We surveyed 272 households in these villages (Incase of households survey, sampling intensity was 100%). Data analysis shows that the major income generating livelihood activities were agro farming (30%), followed by fuelwood collection (22.50%), nursery raising (12.5%), cattle rearing (10%), fisheries (7.50%) and others. Study also reveals that after being implementation of the co-management activities the average income levels of the studied villages have rises on 578 Tk/households (1US$ = 70 Taka, Taka means Bangladeshi currency). Further more, many of the illegal loggers became forest protector, which make their life more secured. It was also found that peoples of the study villages are now actively engaging in forest management activities and it is the only hope for conservation and restoration of forest resources not only in Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary but also in other protected area's of our country.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.195-206
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• 2022

Gaining an understanding of bird communities in different habitat types is essential for the conservation of ecologically important habitats. Wetlands possess different types of habitats and provide an important environment for wintering waterbird communities. This study compares avian communities in five different habitat types in the Moeyungyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary (MWWS), Myanmar. From December 2014 to the first week of February in 2015, bird and habitat data were collected from representative areas of five habitat types (i.e., short grassland, tall grassland, lotus fields, open water areas, and rice fields) at MWWS. We established nine sampling plots in each habitat type, and used the point quadrat method to survey habitats and the point count method to survey birds in the habitats. Simple one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests were used to determine differences between bird communities. We made 95 detections during 19 daily visits to each of the five habitat types. During the survey period, we recorded a total of 10,389 individuals belonging to 52 different bird species, based on 7-min observations at each of the 45 point count stations. Furthermore, we detected significant differences by habitat structure (i.e., vegetation coverage, height, and density; water depth; and plant species diversity) as well as bird communities (i.e., species richness, abundance, and diversity indices). In addition, the detailed analysis of 52 avian species revealed significant differences among 45 species with respect to the mean numbers of observed individuals in the survey habitats. The findings of this study revealed significant differences in the structure and composition of waterbird communities among the five assessed habitat types. Because natural marshes provide preferable habitats for a larger number and greater diversity of birds, relative to rice fields, natural marshes should be prioritized for conservation and restoration in Moeyungyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.250-261
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• 2016

The Philippines is a naturally water-rich archipelago capable of sustaining its ecological goods and providing services and needs of its people. Several waterbodies have been declared as natural wetlands in the country supporting the needs of community like water and food. In this study, 65 natural wetlands were considered including six sites that were identified as 'Wetlands of International Importance' such as Naujan Lake National Park, Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Las $Pi{\tilde{n}}as-Para{\tilde{n}}aque$ Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area and Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. There are 22 wetland types presented in this research categorizing the Philippine wetlands. Philippine wetlands are now facing tremendous challenges such as land use conversion, abuse of resources, pollution coming from domestic, industrial and agricultural activities, and climate change. This paper provides an overview of Philippine wetlands in terms of their characteristics and components, impacts in the ecosystem, and the challenges they are dealing with. Moreover, the preservation measures that the government and private agencies implements to these wetlands were discussed and assessed. The enforcement of local and national laws concerning wetlands is found to be inadequate resulting in poor quality wetlands. The preservation and utilization of these wetlands can be maximized with a voluntary participation of whole Philippine community.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.149-163
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• 2015

The aim of the present study was to assess the variation in species composition and diversity of woody species at different altitudes (900 to 2600 m asl) in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) and its adjoining areas in Garhwal Himalaya, India. A total of 94 woody plant species (including 44 tree and 50 shrub species) belonging to 72 genera and 44 families were reported. Density varied from $235{\pm}9$ to $505{\pm}21trees\;ha^{-1}$ and $4,730{\pm}474$ to $9,530{\pm}700shrubs\;ha^{-1}$. Total basal cover varied from $10.49{\pm}0.66$ to $42.92{\pm}2.57m^2ha^{-1}$ (trees) and $0.36{\pm}0.024$ to $0.62{\pm}0.047m^2ha^{-1}$ (shrubs). Shannon-Wiener Index fluctuated between 2.30 to 3.53 (trees) and 2.74 to 3.78 (shrubs). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that altitude and aspect had significant effect on the distribution of woody species. Taxonomically, Rosaceae with 15 species emerged as the dominant family. Low value of maturity index and contiguous distribution of species denoted the early successional status of the studied forests. The conservation assessment based on altitudinal regimes and the information on species structure and function can provide baseline information for monitoring and sustaining the biodiversity.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.330-341
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• 2017

Tropical forests play a key role for functioning of the planet and maintenance of life. These forests support more than half of the world's species, serve as regulators of global and regional climate, act as carbon sinks and provide valuable ecosystem services. Forest floor biomass and litterfall dynamics was measured in different sites influenced by fire in a seasonally dry tropical forest of Bhoramdeo wildlife sanctuary of Chhattisgarh, India. The forest floor biomass was collected randomly placed quadrats while the litterfall measured by placing stone-block lined denuded quadrat technique. The seasonal mean total forest floor biomass across the fire regimes varied from $2.00-3.65t\;ha^{-1}$. The total litterfall of the study sites varied from $4.75-7.56t\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$. Annual turnover of litter varied from 70-74% and the turnover time between 1.35-1.43 years. Monthly pattern of forest floor biomass indicated that partially decayed litter, wood litter and total forest floor were differed significantly. The seasonal variation showed that leaf fall differed significantly in winter season only among the fire regimes while the wood litter was found non significant in all the season. This study shows that significant variation among the site due to the forest fire. Decomposition is one of the ecological processes critical to the functioning of forest ecosystems. The decomposing wood serves as a saving account of nutrients and organic materials in the forest floor. Across the site, high fire zone was facing much of the deleterious effects on forest floor biomass and litter production. Control on such type of wildfire and anthropogenic ignition could allow the natural recovery processes to enhance biological diversity. Chronic disturbances do not provide time for ecosystem recovery; it needs to be reduced for ecosystem health and maintaining of the high floral and faunal biodiversity.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.21-37
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• 2022

The present study was carried out to evaluate the chemical properties of soil in relation to forest structure and composition at different altitudes (900-2,600 m asl) in a part of Western Himalaya. The composite soil samples were taken from three (viz. upper, middle and lower) depths. The soils of the whole study area were acidic in nature (pH=4.90-5.51). Contents of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Carbon (C) and soil organic matter (SOM) showed much fluctuation during different seasons of year. Nitrogen content showed significant positive correlations with altitude (r=0.924, p<0.05) and different community parameters like species diversity (r=0.892, p<0.01) and species richness (r=0.941, p<0.05). Phosphorus exhibited direct correlations with carbon (r=0.637) while weak negative correlations with different community parameters like species richness & diversity, total basal cover (TBC), density and canopy cover. Carbon content and hence SOM showed direct correlations with Nitrogen (r=0.821, p<0.01); Phosphorus (r=0.637, ns) and Potassium (r=0.540, ns). But no significant relationship was observed between K content and species richness (p=0.30, r=-0.504); between K content and species diversity (p=0.14, r=-0.672); between P content and species diversity (p=0.29, r=-0.513) and species richness (p=0.23, r=-0.575). Among the different soil nutrients, only N showed a significant positive correlation with altitude while all others exhibited negative (but non-significant) correlation with it. The study revealed that the chemical properties affect and are reciprocally affected by forest structure and composition and that N rich soils of higher altitudes are best for the growth and development of forests.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2023

The Tibetan Plateau is home to the only alpine crane species, the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis). Conservation efforts are severely hampered by a lack of knowledge on the spatial distribution and breeding habitats of this species. The ecological niche modeling framework used to predict the spatial distribution of this species, based on the maximum entropy and occurrence record data, allowed us to generate a species-specific spatial distribution map in Ladakh, Trans-Himalaya, India. The model was created by assimilating species occurrence data from 486 geographical sites with 24 topographic and bioclimatic variables. Fourteen variables helped forecast the distribution of black-necked cranes by 96.2%. The area under the curve score for the model training data was high (0.98), indicating the accuracy and predictive performance of the model. Of the total study area, the areas with high and moderate habitat suitability for black-necked cranes were anticipated to be 8,156 km² and 6,759 km², respectively. The area with high habitat suitability within the protected areas was 5,335 km². The spatial distribution predicted using our model showed that the majority of speculated conservation areas bordered the existing protected areas of the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. Hence, we believe, that by increasing the current study area, we can account for these gaps in conservation areas, more effectively.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.79-83
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• 2018

Azo dyes containing effluents from different industries pose threats to the environment. Though there are physico-chemical methods to treat such effluents, bioremediation is considered to be the best eco-compatible technique. In this communication, we discuss the decolorization potentiality of five azo dyes by Podoscypha elegans (G. Mey.) Pat., a macro-fungus, found growing on the leaf-litter layer of Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal, India. The fungus exhibited high laccase and very low manganese peroxidase activities under different culture conditions. Decolorization of five high-molecular weight azo dyes, viz., Orange G, Congo Red, Direct Blue 15, Rose Bengal and Direct Yellow 27 by the fungus was found to be positive in all cases. Maximum and minimum mean decolorization percentages were recorded in Rose Bengal (70.41%) and Direct Blue 15 (24.8%), respectively. This is the first record of lignolytic study and dye decolorization by P. elegans.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.127-134
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• 2011

The purpose of the study was to assess and compare the diversity of plant species (trees, shrubs, herbs) of natural forest and plantations. A total of 52 plant species were recorded in the natural forest, of which 16 were trees, 15 were shrubs and 21 were herbs. On the contrary, 31 species of plants including 11 trees, 8 shrubs and 12 herbs were identified in plantation forest. Shannon-Wiener diversity index were 2.70, 2.72 and 3.12 for trees, shrubs and herbs respectively in the natural forest. However, it was 2.35 for tree species, 2.31 for shrub species and 2.81 for herb species in the plantation forest. Jaccard's similarity index showed that 71% species of trees, 44% species of shrubs and 43% species of herbs were same in plantations and natural forest.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.149-152
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• 2005

A new methodology to detect forest fire burnt scars at near real time using MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data is presented here with a goal of introducing a new and improved capability to detect forest fire burnt scars in Thailand. This new technology is expected to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the forest fire tackling resources distribution and management of the country. Using MODIS data in burnt scars detection has two major advantages - high availability of data and high resolution per performance ratio. Results prove the near real time algorithm suitable and working well in order to monitor the forest fire dynamic movement. The algorithm is based on the threshold separated linear equation of burnt and un-burnt. A ground truth experiment confirms the burnt and un-burnt? areas characteristics (temperature and NDVI). A threshold line on a scatter plot of Band I and Band 2 is determined to separate the burnt from un-burnt pixels. The different threshold values of NDVI and temperature use to identify pixels' anomaly, abnormal low NDVI and high temperature. The overlay (superimpose) method is used to verify burnt pixels. Since forest fire is a dynamic phenomenon, MODIS burnt scars information is suiting well to fill in the missing temporal information of LANDSAT for the forest fire control managing strategy in Thailand. This study was conducted in the Huai-Kha-Kaeng (HKK) Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand