6. Conclusions
From this study we can conclude that forest fragmentation is occurring at a high rate even within the
protected area system. There is need for an overall survey of fragmentation in the protected area system in
Thailand. Within the montane evergreen formation
in our sample landscapes, Om Koi has larger patches
and the greatest richness of mammal and bird species.
In Mae Tuen where human impacts are greater with
smaller remnant patches, more highly modified landscape matrix, greater hunting pressure and road disturbance, then wildlife response is more extreme. Bird
populations show a change in species composition with
the elimination of more sensitive forest obligates and
large frugivores. Mammal diversity is also affected with
a marked decline in the numbers of species, particularly
large species, and also a reduced abundance of more
common species. It is difficult to determine the dominant factor causing these changes for, as suggested by
other researchers (e.g. Turner and Corlett, 1996; Cullen
et al., 2000), disturbance factors tend to work together
and often synergistically.