Project Results
I. Project monitoring visit ( June 11-12, 2010):
Findings & Observation:
Project location, covering 25 villages in Mae Suay District?s Tambol Wawi, may be classified as a mountain/forest ecosystems in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, and home for more than half-a-century to several transboundary cultural group, i.e. Northern lowland Thai, Akha, Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Mien, Chinese and Shanian. In the vicinity, there are two national parks, i.e. Doi Wiang Pha National Park in the north, and Sri Lanna National Park in the west. Targeted population earned their living through practicing agriculture , mainly planting native rice for consumption and corn for sales. One main economic alien species witnessed popular or of interest among communities is para-rubber tree. The location has apparently been degraded by unregulated land use.
Travelling along the road for about 30 km. from Baan (village) Saencharoen to Baan Livu, the visiting team attention was directed to witness about 10 spots where re-vegetation took place with thriving selected native species ?wild banana?. By words of project leaders, each participating family had planted at least 10 trees of the species, with about 30,000 in total.
To have a closer look and understand how wild banana was able to keep rain water and humid along slope terrain, the visiting team stopped at one cultivated plot at Baan Thung Phrao , and another at Baan Livu. It was fairly evident that growing group of bananas at a hillside spring was able to keep and provide enough water for consumption, and at slope terrain can retain humidity, slow down soil erosion and encourage natural re-vegetation.
The effect of banana to reduce land degradation was synergized by check dam , or humid-retaining dam of indigenous knowledge and practice. At any small spring along slope terrain, banana was grown first at upper level, check dam was constructed at lower level. This system of indigenous knowledge and practice was confirmed to be successful in land and water management and reduce rate of land erosion. The visiting team witnessed this at Baan Khun Suay.
In addition to what witnessed during the visit, it was reported that the project played a leading role in organizing an open forum to make understood project approaches among responsible public agencies and initiate sectoral collaboration. Those attendants from agencies were the representatives from the national parks, Chiangrai Provincial Wild fire Control Centre, Royal Irrigation Department and Mae Suay Watershed Management Unit. Several members of Wawi Tambol Administrative Organization, the local administrative organization, were said to be very supportive of the project. Hopefully, the Wawi Tambol Administrative Organization and other responsible local public agencies would be moved and assume responsibility to sustain the results.
II. First progress report ( July 1, 2010):
Undertaken Activities:
1. Building capacity , conducting resources inventories and strengthening network
2. Demonstration of land & forest rehabilitation
3. Participatory and evaluation
4. Knowledge management and dissemination
Results and indicators:
1. Acquired and compiled data & information on condition and status of the watershed, real causes of degradation, indigenous knowledge and practices on sustainable use of natural resources
2. Evinced increased capacity of 150 families ? actively participating in resource inventory and reforestation
3. Additional stakeholders , especially, from public sector being added into project implementation with collective plan being formulated
4. Approximately 50-ha watershed area being re-vegetated with 24,000 water-retaining native species and under systematic protection of communities
4. Eight check dams of indigenous designs ,and combination design, being constructed to ensure water management in selected project locations
Project communication:
The project was made more visible and understood through:
1. Community radio station and Radio Thailand ( local language programme)
2. The project leader was invited to participate in a meeting organized by the parliament focusing on environment where the leader proposed the project idea to the meeting.
3. The following website: www.thaingo.com; www.hilltribe.org.thai; www.bannlik.com; and www.lochincha.com
Experience , lessons Learnt, problem and issue:
The project mentioned as a problem the difficulty in transportation of equipment for construction of check dams, especially, during rainy season. The problem was solved by active participation and harder work of target population.
Replanting wild banana to maintain water upstream and constructing check dams so support water management downstream appeared to receive optimal participation. This was due to the fact that the two activities ensured flowing water for community daily use.
Project expense:
The project reported the expense of THB:225,265 out of the first disbursement of THB: 401,457.92.
III. Second progress report ( February 1, 2011 ):
Undertaken Activities:
1. Keeping on building capacity , conducting resources inventories and strengthening network
2. Keeping on demonstration of land & forest rehabilitation
3. Knowledge management and dissemination
Results and indicators:
1. Additional 8,000 water-retaining native species being planted in project location
2. Additional 33 check dams being completed and functioning
3. Chiangrai Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office realizing the degrading situation and capacity of target community and providing THB: 7,400 each to 11 villages to reverse land degradation and potential of wildfire
4. The mode of dissemination through radio ( native language programme) receiving limited attention from youth of target population
Project communication:
The project was made more visible and understood by meetings with relevant government agencies, radio-both community radio and Thailand Radio, and websites as in the first progress report. The project leader was invited to be the speaker in questions and answer session on wild species to reverse land degradation.
Experience , lessons Learnt, problem and issue:
The project referred to the following as problems and issues:
1. Difficult in transportation due to the nature of project location and when there was a land slide.
2. Some minor conflict with stakeholders in locality , such as religious organization, army, forestry officers.
3. Some traditional belief was a hindrance to some project activities.
Project expense:
The project report the accumulated expense of THB:710,647 out of the sum of first & second disbursement of THB: 790,648.40.
IV. Completion report (12 October 2011):
Date of Participatory Evaluation( 6 October 2011):
Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 1,845
Men: 3,693
Children: 983
Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: 211
Men: 303
Children: 109
Expense:
Amount received from SGP (3 disbursements): THB: 1,161,678.27
Total amount spent out of SGP budget: THB: 1,281,966
Balance: THB: (-120,287.73)
Amount authorized for the final payment: US$: 4,008.99
Amount Received from others: THB: 81,400 (in cash)
THB: 1,071,600 (in kind)
Activities undertaken:
1. Building capacity , conducting resources inventories and strengthening network
2. Demonstration of land & forest rehabilitation
3. Participatory and evaluation
4. Knowledge management and dissemination
Results and indicators:
1. Acquired ecological information and knowledge of target location regarding land & water systems and native plant species to be used for planning conservation and sustainable use of natural resources
2. Increased capacity and conservation awareness witnessed by persistent participation through volunteering of at least 3,000 persons from community members from both cultural groups and mainstream population, and by additional support from provincial office of natural resources and the environment
3. More than 60,000 native plant species within 2 years to maintain soil humidity and address land degradation issue of about 480 ha in watershed spots and community forests
4. Emergence of a process for sustainable development resulting from awareness and insight of target population on output of land and forest rehabilitation:
5. Stories of project appearing in the following websites www.thaingo.com; www.hilltribe.org.thai; www.bannok.com; and www.lochincha.com
6. Produced CDs and booklets called ?Wild Banana is Life? for distribution to relevant sectors.
7. Local (Tambol) enactment on plantation of wild banana being in place
Project Communication:
Included in undertaken activities and results.
Plans and Activities for Sustainability:
The project planned and carried out the followings:
1. Continuation of mainstream and integration of plans with sectors at community level to gain more insight over significance of wild banana
2. Establishment of Wild Banana Bank to be a learning centre for exploitation and for distribution ? targeted at 10 million trees. Currently, over 1 million of seeds had been distributed and planted at various location
Experience , Lessons Learnt , Problems and Issues:
The project referred to the following as problems and issues:
1. Inconsistencies of traditional beliefs and scientific facts: This issues was addressed strategically by winning community elders first through giving them proper respects and priority to ?opening activities?.
2. Difficulty in transportation: This was addressed by adopting more appropriate transportation accessories, including human.
3. Untimely plantation or wrong seasonal plantation: This was addressed by mobilization of wider population , both in local communities and provincial level to launch the plantation at the right times, especially on holidays.
4. Communication/dissemination through radio did not produce satisfactorily results, as it was found out that local communities spent more time on television. This was addressed by producing campaign spots and CD to be used within communities.
