Enhancement Of Working Plans And Establishment Of Forest Management Zones

Land use of areas outside the PA network will be rationalized under this subcomponent. Currently, the working plan for the North District will be developed, and those for the East, South, and West Districts will be revised and improved by the efforts of the Forest Department. Therefore, under the Project, preservation plots survey (60 plots) with adequate fencing facilities will be supported so that the next working plan will be more precise and realistic. In addition to analyses of information stored in the GIS-based database, which will be developed at an earlier stage under the subcomponent 2.1.1, detailed inventories involving field observations will be conducted to cluster forest areas by topography, soil condition, climate, location, vegetation, and socioeconomic condition. Compartments and sub-compartments will be defined and redefined, and surveyed and demarcated. Surveys will also be conducted to determine the management regime, including the silvicultural regime for each cluster. Public consultation will be conducted before finalising the zonation. A regular monitoring system of forest resources will also be set up and implemented.

The outputs of this subcomponent will be included in the forest and biodiversity information base. The 140 km of forest boundaries are anticipated to be set and marked with pillars at an average interval of 100 m. In addition, a total of 140 compartments, 840 plots of natural forests, and 280 ha of plantation forests will be surveyed approximately. The results will be reflected in the working plans and in the GIS database which will be developed under the subcomponent 2.1.1 focusing on the procurement of necessary equipments for mapping. The costs for field surveys and boundary demarcation will be provided by the Project under this subcomponent.