ASFN 2nd 08 Thailand Report
THE SECOND MEETING OF THE
ASEAN SOCIAL FORESTRY NETWORK (2ND ASFN)
27-29 AUGUST 2008
CHAOPHYA PARK, BANGKOK, THAILAND
COUNTRY REPORT ON COMMUNITY FORESTRY
DEVELOPMENT IN THAILAND
---------------------------------OUTLINE OF STATUS REPORT
Forest dependence, to a certain extent, creates a relationship
between community and the resources which responds to ecological
and socio-economic changes. A self-defined community creates
local forest management groups who negotiate and define among
members an equitable sharing of the resources and claim the right to
share resource management power and responsibility with the state
to assure community access and use of the resources (McCay and
Acheson, 1987). The community also develops a set of rules and
regulations both formal and informal, and enforces such rules and
regulations to ensure that user rights and benefits are fairly
distributed among members and are not reaped by outsiders or
members who do not contribute to the group’s activities.
Community forests (CFs) have long been with Thailand’s rural
communities. Forests are considered life-supporting in terms of
community settlement, socio-cultural development, and life
maintenance. Simultaneously, forest systems are sustained by
community practices e.g., respect and reciprocity. Villagers believe
that community subsistence is not possible if the forest is not taken
good care of. In Thailand, community forestry was officially
recognized as a tool for sustainable forest management about two
decades ago.
1. Current laws and policies that facilitate the flow of
benefits between government and community
- Thailand’s economic has to a long extent been based on the
destruction of nature resources. To improve utilization and
management, the sixth and Seventh National Economic and Social
Development Plans (1987-1996) include decentralized environmental
assessment and natural resource management and planning,
delegating authority to provincial and district levels. Early experience
found there was a lock of unless standing of the issues and of the
interdisciplinary approach required and also lack of information. The
program will concentrate on participation of local people and
improving personal skill, information systems and technical
assistance.
- The changes in forest policy from the founding of the Royal
Forest Department in 1896 when the emphasis was on regulation of
forest harvesting , to the present emphasis on cooperation with local
people. The current written forest policy (1985) and describes recent
measures adopted since the logging ban in 1986, including the
Forestry Sector Master plan, Zoning of forestland use closes
envelopment of local people and improved measures for forest
protection include improvement in cooperation and procedures of
government agencies, training of forestry field official and farmers
and improve information.
- Community forest have long been with Thailand’s rural
communities. Forests are considered life supporting in terms of
community settlement, socio-cultural development, life maintenance.
Simultaneously systems are sustained by community practices e.g.,
respect and reciprocity. Villagers believe that Community subsistence
is not possible if the forest is not taken good case of. In Thailand,
community forestry was officially recognized as a tool for sustainable
forest management.
- The key policies and law in place benefit flow between
communities and government are Forest Act B.E. 2484 (1941)
concerns logging operation and non-wood forest products collection.
and Nation Reserved Forest Act B.E. 2507 (1964) includes the
determination of National Reserved Forest, Control over and
Maintenance of National Reserved Forest.
- After Royal Forest Department approved of community
forestry area by RFD Director General according to Forest act B.E.
2507 (1964) and Nation Reserved Forest act B.F. 2484 (1941) to
inform government officer, future officer, people in local area. Local
groups with forestry officers demarcate forest boundaries and post
community forestry signs, including rules and regulation sanction,
and forest produces restricted to use, plantation, form forest
protection groups to patrol and inform community of implementing
progress. The forestry office will provide a progress report to RFD
- So forestry officers work with communities as technical
assistants to ensure program effectiveness and forest sustainability.
- The result, the low, policies and the outcomes of the laws.
The policies are the outcomes of the laws and policies are considered
equitable by the key stakeholder (local people is community forestry
are) and guide benefit flow between communities and governments
(household-consumption and income: conservation and forest
sustainability).
2. The kinds of benefits that are being generated from
community forestry.
- The kinds of benefit that are being generated from community
forestry in Thailand are as follows:
- The people were very well awards of the importance of forest
and there was high tendency of people to get benefit from the
community forest because of the need to depend on the natural
system including to make use of the forest in daily life. In Thailand,
there are 2 kinds community forest (in Nation forest reserved areas,
B.E 2507 (1964), forest act B.E. 2484 (1941) public area, the other
government agency, private area etc.) which the community forest for
use a benefit and dispense that arrive at the space from cut. The wood
is sold and brought to develop a village (only public area and private
area). The other one, the community forest is the Original forest and
develop for the purposes in conservation and household consumption,
the forest area where is being for the natural and wildlife, it is the
area to be fit for learning and research in the part of the forest and
wildlife.
1. Direct benefit
- Two major types of forest product use for household
consumption and income generation. Non-Timber Forest products
(NTFPs) are harvested by wild vegetables for supplement diets.
People ‘s forest resources utilization are food, medicinal plant, fuel
wood, wild vegetable , mushrooms, herb, material for their
handicraft, wild fruits, insects, resin, bamboo and bamboo shoot,
rattan and wildlife, And also the money earn by each household from
sell NTFPs. But the timber for the commercial propose is prohibited
due to 1989 National logging Ban.
2. Indirect benefit
- People are willing will with high attention to prevent,
conserve, restore this forest because there are living around
community forest and sustainable utilization of natural resources
from the community forest, an also they have to increase the
environment awareness and alerted to develop for a butter of own
community and recognize in important forestland. Community
organization wanted to set eco tourism on their area, research area,
park area and training program area.
3. Government support for equitable distribution of
benefits within and between communities
- The Community government arrangement, The study in CF
areas indicated that most community members moderately
participated in CF development but highly participated in utilization
but quite low in decision making, but the participatory making at the
community level was relate with other sector are the member of
family, position in local development group, meeting with RFD
officials because The people need regulation of community forest.
There are some local people who did not know clearly about forest
system, and what they are able to take from community forest, those
people afraid of the forest law, so that cannot support participatory
decision making.
- The capacity of local government to implement benefit
sharing arrangements found to be high level but they should be
frequently visit people and encouraged of project activities alerted to
develop for a better of their own community
- The ability of communities to realize greater benefits from
resources, they unable to be marketing cooperatives and market
analysis and development because the forest product from CF area
use for household consumption and the money earned by each
household from selling NTFPS at low account.
4. Current and future Challenges
The major challenges which see in promoting equitable benefit flow
and benefit sharing in Thailand
1. The majority of the CF project proposed tend to focus on
resource conservation rather than an integrant management
strategies that consider both the rehabilitation and sustained
productivity of the resources.
2. All the CF project will require the cooperation of the local
people and most will only be successful with their comment,
action, action participate, and share in the benefits.
3. Thai forestry policy has evolved to meet the changing social
and economic condition of the country, there were changes in
the measures and tools in forestry, such as law, legislation ,
and the structure of the organization.
4. Extension on Community forestry Management to all
stakeholders especially to local people
5. Develop the Community Forestry Plan in Thailand.
6. Agro-forestry system must be implement in Community
forestry to increase sustained productivity of the resources,
family income and benefit sharing between the local people.
7. To monitor and evaluate all community forestry programs and
management in the community forestry villages for promoting
equitable benefit flow and benefit sharing.
ASEAN SOCIAL FORESTRY NETWORK (2ND ASFN)
27-29 AUGUST 2008
CHAOPHYA PARK, BANGKOK, THAILAND
COUNTRY REPORT ON COMMUNITY FORESTRY
DEVELOPMENT IN THAILAND
---------------------------------OUTLINE OF STATUS REPORT
Forest dependence, to a certain extent, creates a relationship
between community and the resources which responds to ecological
and socio-economic changes. A self-defined community creates
local forest management groups who negotiate and define among
members an equitable sharing of the resources and claim the right to
share resource management power and responsibility with the state
to assure community access and use of the resources (McCay and
Acheson, 1987). The community also develops a set of rules and
regulations both formal and informal, and enforces such rules and
regulations to ensure that user rights and benefits are fairly
distributed among members and are not reaped by outsiders or
members who do not contribute to the group’s activities.
Community forests (CFs) have long been with Thailand’s rural
communities. Forests are considered life-supporting in terms of
community settlement, socio-cultural development, and life
maintenance. Simultaneously, forest systems are sustained by
community practices e.g., respect and reciprocity. Villagers believe
that community subsistence is not possible if the forest is not taken
good care of. In Thailand, community forestry was officially
recognized as a tool for sustainable forest management about two
decades ago.
1. Current laws and policies that facilitate the flow of
benefits between government and community
- Thailand’s economic has to a long extent been based on the
destruction of nature resources. To improve utilization and
management, the sixth and Seventh National Economic and Social
Development Plans (1987-1996) include decentralized environmental
assessment and natural resource management and planning,
delegating authority to provincial and district levels. Early experience
found there was a lock of unless standing of the issues and of the
interdisciplinary approach required and also lack of information. The
program will concentrate on participation of local people and
improving personal skill, information systems and technical
assistance.
- The changes in forest policy from the founding of the Royal
Forest Department in 1896 when the emphasis was on regulation of
forest harvesting , to the present emphasis on cooperation with local
people. The current written forest policy (1985) and describes recent
measures adopted since the logging ban in 1986, including the
Forestry Sector Master plan, Zoning of forestland use closes
envelopment of local people and improved measures for forest
protection include improvement in cooperation and procedures of
government agencies, training of forestry field official and farmers
and improve information.
- Community forest have long been with Thailand’s rural
communities. Forests are considered life supporting in terms of
community settlement, socio-cultural development, life maintenance.
Simultaneously systems are sustained by community practices e.g.,
respect and reciprocity. Villagers believe that Community subsistence
is not possible if the forest is not taken good case of. In Thailand,
community forestry was officially recognized as a tool for sustainable
forest management.
- The key policies and law in place benefit flow between
communities and government are Forest Act B.E. 2484 (1941)
concerns logging operation and non-wood forest products collection.
and Nation Reserved Forest Act B.E. 2507 (1964) includes the
determination of National Reserved Forest, Control over and
Maintenance of National Reserved Forest.
- After Royal Forest Department approved of community
forestry area by RFD Director General according to Forest act B.E.
2507 (1964) and Nation Reserved Forest act B.F. 2484 (1941) to
inform government officer, future officer, people in local area. Local
groups with forestry officers demarcate forest boundaries and post
community forestry signs, including rules and regulation sanction,
and forest produces restricted to use, plantation, form forest
protection groups to patrol and inform community of implementing
progress. The forestry office will provide a progress report to RFD
- So forestry officers work with communities as technical
assistants to ensure program effectiveness and forest sustainability.
- The result, the low, policies and the outcomes of the laws.
The policies are the outcomes of the laws and policies are considered
equitable by the key stakeholder (local people is community forestry
are) and guide benefit flow between communities and governments
(household-consumption and income: conservation and forest
sustainability).
2. The kinds of benefits that are being generated from
community forestry.
- The kinds of benefit that are being generated from community
forestry in Thailand are as follows:
- The people were very well awards of the importance of forest
and there was high tendency of people to get benefit from the
community forest because of the need to depend on the natural
system including to make use of the forest in daily life. In Thailand,
there are 2 kinds community forest (in Nation forest reserved areas,
B.E 2507 (1964), forest act B.E. 2484 (1941) public area, the other
government agency, private area etc.) which the community forest for
use a benefit and dispense that arrive at the space from cut. The wood
is sold and brought to develop a village (only public area and private
area). The other one, the community forest is the Original forest and
develop for the purposes in conservation and household consumption,
the forest area where is being for the natural and wildlife, it is the
area to be fit for learning and research in the part of the forest and
wildlife.
1. Direct benefit
- Two major types of forest product use for household
consumption and income generation. Non-Timber Forest products
(NTFPs) are harvested by wild vegetables for supplement diets.
People ‘s forest resources utilization are food, medicinal plant, fuel
wood, wild vegetable , mushrooms, herb, material for their
handicraft, wild fruits, insects, resin, bamboo and bamboo shoot,
rattan and wildlife, And also the money earn by each household from
sell NTFPs. But the timber for the commercial propose is prohibited
due to 1989 National logging Ban.
2. Indirect benefit
- People are willing will with high attention to prevent,
conserve, restore this forest because there are living around
community forest and sustainable utilization of natural resources
from the community forest, an also they have to increase the
environment awareness and alerted to develop for a butter of own
community and recognize in important forestland. Community
organization wanted to set eco tourism on their area, research area,
park area and training program area.
3. Government support for equitable distribution of
benefits within and between communities
- The Community government arrangement, The study in CF
areas indicated that most community members moderately
participated in CF development but highly participated in utilization
but quite low in decision making, but the participatory making at the
community level was relate with other sector are the member of
family, position in local development group, meeting with RFD
officials because The people need regulation of community forest.
There are some local people who did not know clearly about forest
system, and what they are able to take from community forest, those
people afraid of the forest law, so that cannot support participatory
decision making.
- The capacity of local government to implement benefit
sharing arrangements found to be high level but they should be
frequently visit people and encouraged of project activities alerted to
develop for a better of their own community
- The ability of communities to realize greater benefits from
resources, they unable to be marketing cooperatives and market
analysis and development because the forest product from CF area
use for household consumption and the money earned by each
household from selling NTFPS at low account.
4. Current and future Challenges
The major challenges which see in promoting equitable benefit flow
and benefit sharing in Thailand
1. The majority of the CF project proposed tend to focus on
resource conservation rather than an integrant management
strategies that consider both the rehabilitation and sustained
productivity of the resources.
2. All the CF project will require the cooperation of the local
people and most will only be successful with their comment,
action, action participate, and share in the benefits.
3. Thai forestry policy has evolved to meet the changing social
and economic condition of the country, there were changes in
the measures and tools in forestry, such as law, legislation ,
and the structure of the organization.
4. Extension on Community forestry Management to all
stakeholders especially to local people
5. Develop the Community Forestry Plan in Thailand.
6. Agro-forestry system must be implement in Community
forestry to increase sustained productivity of the resources,
family income and benefit sharing between the local people.
7. To monitor and evaluate all community forestry programs and
management in the community forestry villages for promoting
equitable benefit flow and benefit sharing.