Forest restoration research in northern Thailand, III: Observations of birds feeding in mature Hovenia dulcis Thunb. (Rhamnaceae)

One of the most important criteria for selecting tree species for planting to restore natural forest ecosystems on degraded sites is their attractiveness to wildlife. The "framework species" method of forest restoration, which has been successfully used to re-establish tropical forest in Queensland, Australia uses tree species which produce fruits, nectar or other wildlife resources at a young age. Birds and bats, attracted from nearby forest to feed in the planted trees, disperse the seeds of many other forest tree species into planted sites, thus accelerating the recovery of biodiversity. This paper tests the method by observing attractiveness of a framework species in northern Thailand—Hovenia dulcis.