Assessing well-being in forest dependent communities: A case study of Gunung Tebu Forest Reserve, Terengganu

Forest ecosystem services provide wide range of benefits not only to the environment and economy but also to the social aspect. For generations local communities had received benefits from forest ecosystem services to sustain their livelihood, where over 2.4 billion people all over the world still depend on forest ecosystem for food, source of raw water, medicines and also income generation. Which made the forest become fundamental to the livelihoods and well-being of the people, especially for those who live within and adjacent of forest boundaries. These people are called “forest-dependent communities”. A case study in 2022 was conducted to assess the well-being of forest dependent communities specifically at Gunung Tebu Forest Reserve, Terengganu. The study employed few data collections (including rapid rural appraisal, focus group discussion and household survey) among peripheral communities from seven (7) villages. The primary data for social survey were collected from 700 households by using structured questionnaire. The results show the respondents’ average income was RM2,920/month with 10.6% of forest dependency. Other than that, the poverty level of these communities may increase up to 20%, if the income from the forest is eliminated. Therefore, the exploration and implementation of alternative forest management such as social forestry practices are important to ensure the needs for conservation and development is balanced especially at Gunung Tebu, Terengganu.