Uses and Conservation of Plant Species in a National Park—A Case Study of Ben En, Vietnam

Abstract

Uses and Conservation of Plant Species in a NationalPark-A Case Study of Ben En, Vietnam. This paper surveys the use of wild and cultivated plants by local people in Ben En National Park, Vietnam, and analyzes its impact on the conservation status of some of the utilized species. A total of 208 species used for a range of nonmedicinal purposes are listed. See Hoang et al. (2008a) for 230 medicinal plants used in the park. Most species are used for food. The use of plants contributes very significantly to the livelihood of local people in the park, but the current use patterns are not sustainable and would lead to local extinction of rare and endangered species if no additional conservation measures are introduced. Men collect nonmedicinal plants more often than women. A total of 38 useful plant species are commercialized, and contribute 12% of the average income of individual households. Bamboo shoots of Schizostachyum funghomii (Poaceae) are the most important for income generation. The monetary equivalent of noncommercialized useful plants probably far exceeds the value of the traded plant products. Plant use is independent of the ethnicity of the different populations living in the park.Larger households make use of a greater variety of useful plant species than small families. Abundant species in the forest have a higher use index (UI) than less common species. Out of the 208 useful species, as many as 27 were found to be endangered locally, many more than the 11 or 8 endangered species included in national or global red lists. Currently, useful plants, especially important timber trees, are more abundant in the less disturbed parts of the park, far away from the villages, indicating the pressures of illegal logging and harvesting near villages on the ecosystems.

Environmental Factors Affecting the Abundance and Presence of Tree Species in a Tropical Lowland Limestone and Non-limestone Forest in Ben En National Park, Vietnam

“…Forests in the park are defined as a tropical lowland evergreen forest (Hoang et al 2008). Variance in soil depth and outcrop cover varies site to site due to topography and soils are derived from a limestone substrate with a pH ranging from 4.5 to 6.7.…”

“…Floristic composition and its relationship to environmental factors have become recent topic investigation: numerous studies have shown that the distribution of vegetation types and floristic patterns are most associated with environ-mental factors, including local variables/topographic factors (elevation, slope aspect, slope degree), soil factors (a soil's physical and chemical properties) (Huang 2002;Eilu 2004;Jones et al 2006;Jabeen and Ahmad 2009;Tavili et al 2009;Zhang et al 2012), and factors related to human impact (Enright et al 2005;Hoang et al 2011). Among these environmental variables, soil type and topographic variables are the most significant factors affecting species diversity and the woody vegetation of a locality (Hejcmanova-Nezerková and Hejcman 2006;Zhang et al 2012).…”

Impact of Culm Harvest on Seed Production in a Monocarpic Bamboo

“…Exploitation of wild stands of bamboo is extensive in many developing countries (e.g., Azmy 1995, Rao and Rao 1995, Kusters et al 2001, Upreti & Sundriyal 2001, Van Hoang et al 2008. Exploitation of wild stands of bamboo is extensive in many developing countries (e.g., Azmy 1995, Rao and Rao 1995, Kusters et al 2001, Upreti & Sundriyal 2001, Van Hoang et al 2008.…”

“…The consequences of culm harvest for seed production have never been documented in bamboos. Exploitation of wild stands of bamboo is extensive in many developing countries (e.g., Azmy 1995, Rao and Rao 1995, Kusters et al 2001, Upreti & Sundriyal 2001, Van Hoang et al 2008. Culms are usually harvested for construction purposes in their third or fourth year, younger culms being insufficiently hardened for that purpose (Cusack 1999, Lybeer et al 2006).…”

Using quantitative indices to evaluate the cultural importance of food and nutraceutical plants: Comparative data from the Island of Bali (Indonesia)

“…In Indonesia, several ethnobotanical studies have, over the last few decades, focused on the use of medicinal plants [25][26][27][28]. Despite this, only a few of the ethnobotanical studies carried out across the whole South East Asia region have focused on medicinal, aromatic, and food plants [18,[28][29][30][31], and only one ethnobotanical study has carried out a quantitative evaluation of biocultural diversity on the island of Bali [32].…”