LICHENS AS INDICATORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY AND CHANGE IN THE TROPICAL FORESTS OF THAILAND

A 3 year research project in Thailand on lichens as indicators of envi ronmental change in tropical forests was undertaken in protected areas where monitoring for long-term changes is now set up. Sites were sele cted in Huay Kha Khaeng, Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon in deciduous dry dipterocarp and evergreen forests where phanerogamic diversity and fir es history is known. Through collection and analysis of lichen and env ironmental data, the association of lichens with tree species and fore st type, and the use of lichens as indicators of recent changes in for est history, is demonstrated. Factors affecting the lowering of lichen biodiversity are discussed, in particular the effects of fire on the constituent phanerogamic and cryptogamic communities.