Objective: To evaluate the snail control effect and eco-economical benefit of the forest for snail control and schistosomiasis prevention in mountainous regions.
Methods: From 2006 to 2010, the retrospective survey, field inspection and family interview were adopted to collect the data of snail status, and the economic income and ecological environment of local region in rice paddy, seedling bed, irrigation channel and kaleyard channel in Sanying Village, Eryuan County, Yunnan Province, where the Flourishing Forest and Controlling Snails Project was implemented.
Results: After the implementation of the project, compared to 2006, the snail areas in rice paddy, seedling bed, irrigation channel and kaleyard channel in 2010 reduced by 70.5%, 91.0%, 49.7%, and 58.8%, respectively; the occurrence rates of frames with living snails dropped by 81.6%, 97.2%, 84.4% and 87.9%, respectively; and the average densities of living snails dropped by 79.0%, 97.8%, 86.0% and 93.6%, respectively. The economic income of farmers and ecological environment improved obviously.
Conclusions: The forest for snail control and schistosomiasis prevention in mountainous areas not only has an obvious effect on snail control, but also can yield significant economic and ecological benefits.