I. First progress report (December 11, 2007):
Activities undertaken:
1. Capacity-building activities conducted for project members, including technical training, map-making, and study tours
2. Reforestation activities launched in marginal and degraded forest areas
3. Weirs constructed to retain water and slow down land erosion
4. Cultivated land demarcated

Results of activities:
1. Project members--especially leaders of project network--have increased institutional capacity: leaders in 4 villages successfully organized forums to make project objectives and modalities better understood; communities and local administrative organizations responded by donating THB 39,000 in cash
2. 21 of 31 planned weirs completed and operational; weirs have reduced land erosion and contributed to increases in local biodiversity
3. 80 ha of forest demarcated as ?conservation zone?

Project expense: THB 237,510 out of first disbursement of THB 237,458.40

II. Second progress report (August 6, 2008):
Activities undertaken:
1. Conducting capacity-building activities through study tours and training on natural resources management , mapping and GPS
2. Conducting youth camp for conservation of natural resources and the environment
3. Collecting data and information regarding communities
4. Making fire-break zone and building humid retaining weirs
5. Building network with concerned environment organizations

Results of activities:
1. 25 core leaders from two communities understanding current status of environment and global warming, model of ecological management by local approaches, and technical issues ( kitchen and toilet waste disposal).What had been learnt were put into practice in sustainable agricultural practices, production of environmentally-friendly kitchen and toilet stuff and ability to relay the message to other community members.
2. Emergence of cooperation networks between two Tambol Administrative Organizations and among 10 leaders from 4 communities
3. One map for Baan (village) Muedlong being created and under verification of related data
4. Acquired data and information on indigenous forest management, rotating farming, biological diversity and native seeds for dissemination for CBOs, NGOs, and government agencies
5. Fire-break zone of 3 meters by 18.5 km.long for 4 villages preventing wild fire, throughout the whole year,for 470-ha watershed.
6. Mae Hong Son Watershed Management Unit providing additional support of Baht: 16,000
7. Ten humid retaining weirs ,each of 1 m. by 1.30 m, producing their results through evident increase of biological diversity , clearer and more water for household consumption and agriculture
8. This period the project received contribution of Baht: 60,000 in cash from Thai government and Baht: 73,350 in kind

Project communication:
During the period, the project was made more visible through:
1. Local Administrative Organizations in project location
2. Sharing forum with 14 river basin networks and 150 villages in Mae Hong Son Province
3. Salawin Forest Ordination Rite with exhibition and festivity
4. Visitation of 40 students from Rajabhat University Chiangmai and exhibition on Rotating Farming and Biological Diversity of Lawa people
5. Exhibition in ?Flea Market of Hill tribe People? , organized every first Saturday of each month

Experience and Lessons Learnt:
1. It was found out that coordination was of utmost important for project leaders. Successful coordination had resulted in mutual understanding and support , both in kind and in cash- smooth implementation.
2. Building new capable core community leaders took times ,due to limitation of project leaders who were not able to work ? deeply? in individual village level.
3. Members of concerned Tambol Administrative Organizations still cherished the idea of ?infrastructure first, environment later? making this a priority for project leaders to reverse.

Project expense: THB 386,134 ,out of two disbursements of THA 468,691.30

III. Monitoring trip by NC (August 20, 2008):
Baan (village) Mued Long, one of the four participating villages with 55 households, is situated in the vicinity of the Mae Tho National Park. Of a cultural group , Lawa, community members earn their living through farming. Paddy of native species and corn were two main crops. Practicing rotating crop (6-9 years) had been the way of life for the group.

Wandering into the community forest of the project with 10 project leaders, several check ( humid retaining) dams were seen completed and doing their function slowing down erosion and water flow rate. The leaders agreed that after a year of completion, the water from this watershed is upgraded, both in term of quality and quantity. Before the dams, turbidity of water was rather high ,and in drying season, the water flow rate was less. Now, they are satisfied with what the dams and the project has provided. During this walk of three k.m. or so, about 50 species of medicinal and nutritious value were identified and briefed to the NC.

Outside boundary of the community forest, areas of rotating fields were arranged for community to grow paddy for consumption and a few other cash crops for supplementary income. It was related that the crop rotating system of this group was traditionally nine years. With growing population and other factors such as unclear boundary of natural forest and community forest , the figures was reduced to six years. The community was working out to solve this issues.

The leaders, four came from another participating village in Mae Hong Son Province 100 k.m. away, demonstrated awareness and capacity in term of local practices in forest conservation. They expressed satisfaction with the project to a great extent, and would like to replicate to cover other remaining Lawa villages in the area. However, existence of slight misunderstanding between communities and forestry officers in the area on the unclear boundary between community forest and national park was mentioned.

b>IV. Mid-course evaluation workdhop (March 20-21, 2009)
Findings and observation:
Together with representatives from other projects of the same grant cycle (from THA/06/13 to THA/06/28), and SGP country team, the project participate in the workshop to update progress , share experience and initiate a network. It was agreed that each project would keep on contacting one another and sharing experience. Contacting addresses were distributed with one project as the coordinating centre for future activities. An NSC member who represented the National Environment Fund was also committed to help in keeping the network.

VI. Completion report (December 18, 2009):

Date of Participatory Evaluation(30 October 2009):

Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 1,029
Men: 1,208
Children: Inclusinve

Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: 5
Men: 49
Children: 60

Expense:

Amount received from SGP (3 disbursements): THB: 697,871.84
Total amount spent out of SGP budget: THB: 781,874.00
Balance: THB: (- 84,002.16)
Amount authorized for the final payment: US$: 2,280.42
Amount Received from others: THB: 72,000 (in cash)
THB: 384,000 (in kind)
Activities undertaken:
1. Conduction capacity-building activities to reconfirm projects and train stakeholders on technical issues
2. Conducting capacity-building through study tours
3. Formulating Maps
4. Demarcating Forest fire break zone
5. Retaining humidity and slowing down land erosion
6. Participatory demarcation of cultivated area

Results of activities:
1. Increased capacity and awareness of core-leaders from target communities witnessed through ability to successfully formulate maps using GPS and apply what were learnt in daily activities ( multi-purpose solution in kitchen and toilet and sustainable agriculture in their premises)
2. Emergence of a sustainable management system of ecosystems as follows:
- 9,280 ha of cultivated land
- clearer zoning of forest and cultivated land
- about 474-ha forest area being under constant protection from wild fire
- 20 catchment areas under community conservation
- about 90-ha of degraded watershed area being reforested with 4,000 trees of 5 native species and soil erosion retarding reeks
3. Evinced increased numbers of wild life and fresh water species
4. Availability of one set of knowledge product on native seeds and local biological biodiversity

Project Communication:
The project was made more visible and better understood through collective activities with local administrative organizations in public events and community meetings.

Experience , Lessons Learnt , Problems and Issues:
1. Building capacity of community leaders was of utmost important as the leaders would be the ones to influence community members both institutionally and technically thus ensure participation and project result.
2. Inculcating conservation awareness into youth groups must be implementing to ensure long term conservation activities

In addition , the project stipulated that supports from non-government sources for community action was still essential , since several public projects were not designed for more specific and more holistic target population.

One major issue was communication to project location due to its remoteness and lack of good infrastructure.

Plans and Activities for Sustainability:
Upon completion, project leaders in each participating community discussed about future activities which can be concluded as follows:

1. Coordinating with local administrative organizations linking community development plans to network?s and province?s
2. Coordinating with basin networks at provincial level (Mae Hong Sorn) to collectively formulate a plan for management of natural resources on a yearly basis.
3. Continuing with community activities by local resources