The project location is the resident of both local people and minority group. It is also a watershed area of the Li River draining into the Ping River and the Gulf of Thailand. During the past 30 years, the communities has been facing environmental degradation in terms of deforestation, successive water shortage , sedimentation in water courses and the spread of the aggressive ,unwanted alien species ? Giant Sensitive Plant ( Mimosa pigra Linn.).The deforestation has been caused by commercial timbering and consumption of wood in term of household cooking.

The prevailing environmental degrading situation has prompted the communities to launch conservation activities which is able so cope with some problem areas. But the most urgent problem ,at present, is deforestation in term of fire-woods consumption which requires an initiatives for energy conservation and renewable energy application.

Project goals or objectives (including GEF problem-area addressed by projects):

1.To develop and promote communities to use the giant sensitive plant , bio-mass from orchards as fuels , reducing the use of woods from forest
2.To promote plantation of species which is environmentally-friendly and used as fire-woods

Activities to be carried out under project:

1.Providing technical training in the area of renewable energy for cooking
2.Demonstrating and promoting the building of rice-husk stove, charcoal production, bio-gas system
3.Promoting the nursery of environmentally-friendly species for plantation

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:

1.Students , youths from Ban(village)Puang, Thung Hau Chang District
2.Tambol Administrative Organizations from the 3 tambols
3.Li Watershed Management Unit, Royal Forestry Department
4.Li Watershed Development Project ( Northern River Basin)

Anticipated results of project:

-36 families possess rice-husk stoves for cooking, reducing the consumption of fire-woods from forests.
-120 families possess charcoal burning stoves using the Giant Sensitive Plants as raw materials
- At least 2 families enjoy the use of biogass system resulting the demonstration.
- Communities and schools join force in dissemination of renewable energy.