| There has been much attention and effort on national and international levels devoted over past decades to global problems of deforestation and forest degradation and to improving forest management and conservation. With the development of society and growth of economy, the demand of food and land is increasing, the utilization and conservation of forest is under stress. How to protect forest resources and at the same time to meet the demand of local people has been considered as a significant research issue.There is growing realization that the property rights theory is a good theoretical basis for study about allocation of natural resources. It has been proved by national and international researchers that forest tenure institution is related to the utilization and conservation of forest resources. This study based on the "Theory on institutional function" which measures function of an institution through "Credibility". Professor Peter Ho is core researcher of this theory.This dissertation took Miao villages in Leishan County, Southeast Guizhou, China as a case to study function of forest tenure institution through credibility index at ethnic minority group regions. Leishan County, which located in southeast Guizhou, is populated almost exclusively by the Miao people and is one of the most important forest areas in China. Miao people have lived in the mountains for generations and have traditionally been an animistic people. They treat forests as the most important natural resources, especially tree species Cunninghamia Lanceolata, known as Chinese fir (Shamu).In China, forest tenure and levels of management for forest land have shifted many times since 1949. After the latest forest tenure reform, currently in Miao area of Leishan, there are three types of forest tenure:state forest, community forest and private forest, and each are managed by a specific set of prescriptions. Management of state forests is following national policies and regulations issued by central forestry authorities like Ministry of Forestry or Nature Reserve Offices. Community forests are managed by village council according to local rules or customary laws. Private forests are managed by households catering to the need of their family.In this research, two categories of credibility indexes are selected:one is the effect of forest tenure institution on forest resources and ecological environment; the other one is the effect of forest tenure institution on Miao society and economy. Methods of forest ecology, sociology and economy were used, forest transects, sample experiments, questionnaires and interviews were conducted in three Miao villages, and the main results are summarized as following:(1) The forest tenure institution directly affects the way Miao People managed forest resources, which caused the differences in three forest tenure types. Tree species richness, diversity and crown cover were significantly higher in State Forests and Community Forests than in Private Forests, Cunninghamia lanceolata, an important local timber species, was most abundant in Private Forests, while higher proportions of associated broadleaf and pine species were recorded in State Forests and Community Forests. Shrub density in community forests was significantly higher than in private forests. Density, sum ground diameter, average height, coverage and species richness of shrub and herb in private forests was lower than the other two types of forest tenure. The maximum water-holding volume in state forest was significantly higher than in private forests, the maximum water-holding rate in community forest was significantly higher than in private forests. The organic matter, total N, available N, total K, quacking K, the valid P and CEC were significantly different, the whole level of soil fertility of three forestlands were significantly different, form high to low was community forest> state forest> private forest. The forest fire rate was lower in state forests and community forest, most fire occurred in private forests were caused by human activities, the most frequent forest disaster occurred in Miao areas was soil erosion.(2) In order to ensure forest tenure perspicuity and issue forest felling license to famers, forest tenure institution reform has been carried out for several times in Leishan County. But because of historical problems, the forest tenure conflicts still happened occasionally, conflicts problem hasn’t been solved completely. The satisfaction of forest tenure institution was not high. Miao people were not satisfied with the forest tenure division, because the private forest were not enough for use. Miao People seemed forest as important resources, the main four reasons they consider forest important were:the Cunninghamia trees they planted could be used to construct houses, forest could help to protect ecological environment, forest could provide firewood and a bit of income.(3) Nowadays, Miao People didn’t rely on forestry as primary livelihood as before, forest resources are seemed as a kind of property instead. They save forest for bundling house in the future. Economic profit from forest for Miao villagers was limited. The proportion of income from forest to family total income was pretty low. Due to the policy and forest tenure institution, famers can hardly harvest timber or forest by-product from private forest. Central government gave economic compensation to grain for green forests and national ecological forests according to national standards. In the opinions of most Miao villagers, the compensation is too low to meet their profit.(4) Through comparison of forest ecosystem services value of three forest tenure types, we found the order of total value was:state forest (10.339 ×104 Yuan RMB/hm2)> community forest (8.273×104 Yuan RMB/hm2)> private forest (4.683 ×104 Yuan RMB/hm2). The proportions of four ecosystem services value in three forest tenure types were the same:regulating service> cultural service> supporting service> provisioning service. The proportions of providing service value in three forest tenure types were:private forest> community forest> state forest, private forest served better in providing Cunninghamia trees and food. The proportions of the other three services value were:state forest> community forest> private forest. Functions of protecting biodiversity, maintaining soil fertility, conserving water and reducing disasters contributed the most part of ecosystem services value, which were much higher than the product providing service value.(5) The results of empirical study and econometric models showed the relationship among forest tenure institution and ecological, social and economic conditions. The ecological condition of community forest was significantly higher than private forest by 0.697 (P<0.01). The results of Logit model showed that people had higher income and lived in better ecological environment considered community forest more important than private forest. While people who ranked forest resources very important considered private forest more important than community forest, and their income were lower. Villagers who were satisfied or had no opinions about institution and management policies, had higher income. Villagers who were satisfied or had no opinion about institution had lower income.In summary, through the analyses of credibility indexes of forest tenure institution in Miao areas in Leishan County, this dissertation came to the main conclusion that the credibility of forest tenure institution in Miao villages of Leishan was not good enough. The institution and policies didn’t motivate famers’enthusiasm to manage, protect and develop forest.
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