Recent events NAT. 血ST. B 肌 L. SIAM Soc. 53(2): 14 5- 180 ， 2005 FIRST FIELD ECOLOGY SYMPOSIUM ， “FOREST ECOLOGY AND RESTORATION" 28TH - 30TH JANUARY 2005 George George A. Galtl and Tommaso Savini I Li ttle detailed knowledge is available on In dochina's biodiversity (plants ，泊 vertebra 飽s， vertebrates ，etc.) at the level 白紙 currently exists for the temperate zone and for some 釘 eas 泊白.e Neo 住opics 姐 dA 合ica (e.g. ，TERBORGH EI AL. ， 1990; ROB 町 SON ET AL. ，2000 and cited cited there-in). 官邸isp 紅白ularly problematic for countries in In dochina ，where large-scale deforestation deforestation (and other forms of habitat destruction) is occurring rapidly (FAO ， 1997) and 血is biodiversity is being lost and biological communities 釘 'e being significantly changed before 血ey have been well documented. For ex 創 nple ，less 白血20% of Th ailand remains forested forested compared with an estimate of 53% 台om 白 early 1960's (LE 聞 G 組 AMS R1 & RA1E SH ， 1992). 1992). In conjunction with habitat loss and fragmentation ，there is still intense exploitation of wildlife wildlife reso 町 ces for food and the for national and regional wildlife trade (BE 附 Eπ&RAO ， 2002). 2002). Compounding these problems is a serious lack of human reso 町 ces and expertise in all fields fields of ecology (Soo 皿&LIOW ，2000). 百lail 佃 d，a coun 町 of over 65 million people ， and now one of 血e most developed in the region ，still ranks in the bottom 25% in 血e world 泊 terms of the number of people involved in any form of research and development (WO 阻 .0 BANK ， 2002). Al though 官lail 佃 d has an equal or higher level ofbiological diversity of of many groups of organisms 組 da larger area complex tropical ecosystems compared to 血e U 凶ted States for example (ASEAN REGIONAL CE 悶'RE FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERV A:官 ON ， 2003) ，0 町 es 白nates suggest 白紙 it probably gr ョduates < 5 Ph.D. ecologists per ye 紅 (0.08 ecology ecology graduates/ million people) comparedωat le ai; t 40 伽 esrate that from the United States States (> 1000 Ph.D. ecologists per ye 紅').百 le si 旬 ation is fi 紅 worse for most of 官 lailand's immediate immediate neighbors. Furthermore ， while the situation is improving ， are there still too few 百凶or other South-east Asian researchers with sufficient tra 泊加g or experience to conduct scientifically-sound scientifically-sound surveys of any form of biodiversity 佃 d even fewer with the capacity to analyze analyze data and publish scientific papers 泊血 is scientific field (Soo 阻&LIOW ， 2000). However ，anecdotal evidence suggests 血at a relatively 1釘 ge community of researchers is is currently working 恒 m 佃 yparts different of the coun 町 covering m 姐 y 酪 pects of its biodiversity. biodiversity. Unfortuna 旬ly ，出 is research tends to be isolated andlor f同.gmented ， leading to reduced reduced impact and lower intemational outpu t. In In order to gather researchers (Thai and foreigner) who are presently conducting research 泊Th ailand related to forest ecology 佃 d forest restoration we decided to organize and host a symposium on “forest ecology and restoration" which we hope w i11 be the beginning beginning of a long-term series of symposia on field ecology to be organized on a bi-annual Conservation I Conservation Ec ology U 凶t，Sch ∞， 1 of Bioresources and Technology ，Kin g Mongkut's University of Technology Th onburi ，Bangkok 145 145 146 GEORGE A. GALE AND TOMMASO SA VINI basis ，and perhaps on an annu a1 basis depending on the level of 加terest. Th e meeting atmosphere atmosphere a1 10wed researchers and students to exchange ideas for enhancing the qu a1 ity of their their work and establishing future cooperation. Th es 戸nposium focused on a range of researchers-from senior professors to graduate students. students. Our frrst go a1 was to have se 凶or researchers ， with internation a1 standing ， share their their knowledge among the p釘 ticip 佃 t in a series of plenary ta1k s covering m 佃 Y di 百erent aspects aspects of forest ecology. Th e second go a1 was for graduate students to have the oppo 口u凶ty to to present their work in an atmosphere similar to an international meeting and receive constructive constructive scientific feedback from a scientific audience. Th e symposium ， sponsored by Biodiversity Biodiversity Research Training (BRT) ，PTT-EP ，King Mongku t' s University of Technology 百lO nb 凶 (KMUTT) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) ，was attended by approxi- mately mately 90 researchers 合om Th ailand and other countries. Here follows the ab 柑 'acts from 37 or a1 presentations 佃 d 10 posters that were presented during 血e 白ree days of the symposium. REFERENCES ASEAN ASEAN RE Gl ONAL CENTRE FOR BIO Dl VERSITY CONSERV A: τ10N. 2003. ASEAN Regional C巴ntre for Biodiversity Conservation: Conservation: http://www.arcbc.org [Accessed 23 Janu 釘 γ2004]. BENNETT BENNETT E. L.， AND M. RAo. 2002. Hunting and wildlife 回 de in tropical and subtropical forests: results of a meeting held held in Kh ao Yai National Park ，Th ailand. 2∞ 2. W Il dlife Conservation Society ，Bangkok. FAO. FAO. 1997. State ofthe World's Forests 1997. Food andAgricultural Org 副 zation ofthe United Nations ，Rome LE 聞 GARAMS 則 P. ，AND N. RAJ 邸 H.1992. 百 e釦ture of people 組 dforesωin 百lailand after 血elogg 泊 gban. Pr oject for for Ec ological Recovery ，Bangkok ，司 lai1 and. ROBINSON ROBINSON W. D. ，J. D. B臥:wN， AND S. K. ROBINSON. 2000. Forest bird comm 凶 ty struc 細胞 in ce 即 al Panama: influence influence of spatial scale and biogeography. Eco l. Monogr. 70: 20 9- 235. SODHI SODHI N. S. ， AND L. H. Llow. 2000. Im proving conservation biology research in sou 出east Asia. Cons. Biol. 14: 1211-1121 1211-1121 TERBORGH TERBORGH J. ，S. K. ROBINSON ，T. A. PARKER ，C. A. MUNN ， AND N. PI 凪 PONT.1990.S 回 C旬 re and org 鉱山ation ofan Amazonian Amazonian forest bird community. Ecol. Monogr. 60: 213-238. WORLD WORLD BANK. 2002. World Development lndicators Database 2002. World Bank ，Washington D.C. ，U.S.A. FOREST ECOLOGY AND RESTORATION 147 ABSTRACTS OF ORAL PRESENTATIONS Current Policies Regarding Conducting Research in Thailand's Protected Areas Chaweewan Hutacharern After After Bureaucratic restructuring 泊 2002 ， the Department of National Parks ，Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) was formed as a separate agency from the existing Royal Forest Forest Department (RFD). Th e DNP was established to oversee selected categories of protected protected areas (national parks ，wildlife sanctuaries and head watershed areas) where relatively relatively 合agile environments requ 悦 special protection and maintenance to preserve their biological biological diversity. Forest reserves and forest parks ，however ， remain under the jurisdiction of of the Royal Forest Department. Management of these protected areas requires baseline information on 出eir physical and and biological aspects. Th is information is obtained 血rough field surveys and by monitoring environmental environmental changes ，and the DNP must ensure that these actions are sufficient to inform inform environmental managemen t. In addition to providing valuable ecosystem services ， Th ailand's protected areas serve a number of other functions ， including biological and environmental environmental study. The DNP and the RFD have therefore implemented policies that support support all research in these protected lands. Data from this extramural research con 町ibute to the the monitoring goals of 出e DNP and RFD without expending their resources. All research must be carried out in accordance with Th ailand's pertinent laws ，regulations and procedures. The Di rector-General ofDepartment ofNational Parks ，Wildlife and Plant Conservation is is authorized to gr 佃 t permits to those conducting research in protected areas under the jurisdiction jurisdiction of the DNP. Permission is granted in accordance with 血e recommendations of a technical technical consulting committee and after being endorsed by the Minister of N atural Resources and and Environment. Pr ocessing time for a research pen 国 tapplication is usually less 白血60 days. days. An y projects involving foreign researchers must be approved by the National Research Council Council of Th ailand before the application is submitted to the DNP. Applications for research to to be conducted on lands under the jurisdiction of the RFD are handled in a simil 紅 m 捌 er. Wh ile 血is two-step procedure allows for more thorough review of the requests ，it has also become rather time-consuming. Nevertheless ， the process was established to better meet τ'h ail 佃 d 's obligations as a Contracting Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity ， balancing balancing the need to protect 出e coun 町 's interests while granting access to its biological and and genetic diversity the for greater global good. Dep 紅伽lent of National Park ，Wildlife and Plant Conservation. 61 Paltolyothin Road. Chatuchak ，Bangkok. 10900 ， Th ailand. chaltu も:@access.ine t. co.th 148 148 GEORGE A. GALE AND TOMMASO SA VINI Conducting Conducting a Successful Long-term Wildlife Research in Thailand: Strategy Strategy and Funding Pilai Pilai Poonswad It It is very difficult to provide a typic a1 model strategy in order to keep a long-term wild- life life research running ，p紅 ticularly in a develop 加gcoun 句 such as Th ailand where wildlife is much considered for its economic a1 va1 ue ， but with little care for its ecologic a1 va1 ue. 百le research research itself basic a1 1y requires a long duration ，a lot of manpower and great amount of fund 加g. It a1 so involves a number of influenti a1 unexpected factors.