Maintaining Hornbills in the Working Landscape of the Southern Tenasserim Western Forest Complex Corridor in Thailand A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Jiraporn Teampanpong IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Robert B. Blair August 2014 © Jiraporn Teampanpong, 2014 Acknowledgements I am grateful to many people and organizations for their encouragement, support, and assistance in shaping this dissertation. The research was funded and supported by several agencies. These included the Rufford Small Grant for Conservation, the Avian Conservation Fellowship and the Frank McKenny Fellowship in Avian Ethology from the Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota, the Conservation Biology Program at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, IDEA WILD, and the Thailand Hornbill Project. I am also thankful for a scholarship under the Strategic Scholarships for Frontier Research Network of Thailand’s Commission on Higher Education, which supported full tuition fee and living expenses for my PhD, and the Office of Educational Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy, Washington D.C., which facilitated my study in the US. First of all, I am thankful to my adviser, Professor Robert B. Blair, for his kindness to accept me as his advisee. He is a great adviser who encouraged and supported me, and was patient about our different cultures and learning perspectives. I am grateful to Emeritus Professor Pilai Poonswad, my external committee member from Mahidol University, Thailand for her warm encouragement, suggestions, and support regarding study design, field equipment, field activities with hornbills, as well as her comments on and suggestions for my manuscripts and dissertation. Her work in public media inspires local people to be willing to participate in hornbill conservation at the site and throughout Thailand. I appreciate Professor James L.D. Smith, Professor Todd W. Arnold, and Professor Paul V. Bolstad, research committee members, for their guidance regarding i study design, data analysis, and suggestions for improving my manuscripts and dissertation. In addition, I appreciate Dr. Anak Pattanavibool, the Director of Wildlife Conservation Society-Thailand Program for both his advice on field study and support for field equipment. I also want to thank Assistant Professor John Fieberg for his suggestions regarding statistical analysis. Second, I thank many organizations for their assistance during the field study in Thailand. These include the Thailand Hornbill Project for support with field equipment, field training, and guidance in field work; the Institute for Innovative Learning at Mahidol University, the affiliation that helped with my applications for permission to work in Thai protected areas and to use radio telemetry for research; the Department of National Park, Plant, and Wildlife Conservation of Thailand and the Office of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Siridhorn’s Project for granting permission to work in the area; the Wildlife Conservation Society-Thailand Program for field assistance and equipment; Maenam Pachee Wildlife Sanctuary and the Natural History Park initiated by the Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn; and local units of border patrol police and infantry for lodging and camping sites, field assistance, logistics, and protection during the field work near the national border. Third, I am also thankful for the hard fieldwork, field support and suggestions of many people. Mr. Pakphum Aramsirirujiwet conducted the first year (2010) of nest surveys. The Thailand Hornbill Project staff including Mr. Kamol Plongmai, Mr. Itiphol Buathong, Mr. Wichai Klinkri, and Ms. Siriwan Nakkuntod provided field training in searching for and capturing hornbills, fixing hornbill nests, and other field activities. ii Plant specimen identification was done by Mr. Sukid Rueangruea, the plant taxonomist at the Department of National Park, Plants. Fieldwork in Maenam Pachee Wildlife Sanctuary was greatly supported by Mr.Pratheep Hermprayak, superintendent of Maenam Pachee Wildlife Sanctuary, Mr. Suthiwat Buathong, the Head of Nongtadung ranger station, and many forest rangers at all ranger stations. My sincere appreciation goes to the villagers from Phurakam Village including Mr. Tatooday Phujui, Mr. Jomee Khaophu, Mr. Chan Khaophu, and Mr. Tia Khaophu for their dedication and willingness to work with local people and search for hornbill nests. I am also grateful to Mr. Kee Anukulnithidharm, a field-crew member from the Natural History Park, for his dedication, work with local people, patience for detailed work and his kind offer of a homestay during field work in the Natural History Park. I thank three staff members from Wildlife Conservation Society-Thailand, Mr. Sitthichai Jinamoy for field cooperation and Ms. Jutamas Tefong and Mr. Jaksin Prikred for hard work in the field after my return to the USA. Lastly, I thank Mr. Uthan Pummarin, Mr. Arnut Pongwan and Mr. Issarin Sukprasert, short-term research assistants for field data collection. I also very much appreciate valuable comments and suggestions from my lab mates, Dr. Scott Loss, Dr. Tania Z. Homayoun, Karl Tinsley, and Sami Nichols on my presentation, oral preliminary examination, and my research proposal. I am thankful to Dr. Sarah Thompson for her encouragement and suggestions to apply R software for data analysis. I also thank Dr. Mark Ditmer, Dr. Seth Stapleton, and Dr. Nathan Muller for their help and great team spirit during the written preliminary exam. I thank Dr. Sheryl L. iii Holt, Department of Writing Studies, for guidance on academic presentation and writing especially for help in improving the first draft of chapter 3. I am also grateful to Thai friends at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, especially Dr. Sunantha Kosonsiriluk, Dr. Suthinee Rurkkhum, Dr. Kamol Suwannakarn, and Mr. Mikhail Titov, for helping me survive in a very cold place and encouraging me from the beginning of my program through completion. I am also thankful to the Thai Student Association of Minnesota (ThaiSA) and Minnesota Graduate Club (MGC) for creating a warm community and making my life in Minnesota feel like home. My great gratitude goes to many people in Thailand for their unending encouragement, support, and love during the six years that I have been away from home. These include my parents, Mr. Narin Teampanpong and Mrs. Sim Teampanpong, and all members of my extended family including Mr. Chalermpan Wongwiwattana, my great uncle; Ms. Kanueng Saeton; Mrs. Wanida Wongwiwattana and Mrs. Tavorn Sungchai, my great aunts; and Mr. Eakapong Teampanpong and Mr. Chanyut Teampanpong, my brothers. I also appreciate many long-time Thai friends especially Miss Kamolrat Photi, Miss Jarassri Rungvichaniwat, Mr. Sanchai Eiamprasert, and Mr. Sopon Naruchaikusol for their encouragement, moral support, field assistance and suggestions for working with local communities as well as assistance in finding information and doing research when I was away from Thailand. I am also thankful to Associate Professor Bhinyo Panijpan and Associate Professor Pintip Ruenwongsa for their support during an application process to the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and accepted me to work with Institute for Innovative Learning at Mahidol University after graduation. iv My greatest appreciation and respect goes to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and his Royal Family as role models of moral excellence and perseverance to conserve nature for this and future generations. Without many of their several pilot projects in my study site, I would have been unlikely to find such great cooperation among multiple ethnic groups and local people. Finally, I appreciate and respect the Lord Buddha for his guidance to respect every being, and to appreciate and value nature and its diversity: this highly influenced my choice to become a conservationist. His guidance and morality also encourage me to overcome fear while being in unexpected circumstances, and to persist and stay positive in the face of difficulties and struggles in life, and keep me on the right path. v Table of Contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures................................................................................................................. xvi Chapter 1 - Introduction ............................................................................................. 1-28 The Study Area and Significance.....................................................................................5 Maenam Pachee Wildlife Sanctuary........................................................................9 The Natural History Park initiated by Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn ..............................................................................................................10 Threats to the Southern Tenasserim landscape ......................................................11 Hornbill Ecology............................................................................................................13 Breeding Ecology of Hornbills ..............................................................................13 Feeding Ecology of Hornbills................................................................................15 Ecological Roles of Hornbills................................................................................15