During the last decade, the environmental degradation has been an outstanding problems in every region of the country with an increasing degree of severity . This has been due to the unregulated economical development. The natural resource has been exploited so carelessly that results in the loss of natural balance. The world and its human beings have witnessed this effect very regularly.

The target population of the project is the minority group residing in the watershed area of Mae Korn River and Mae Sarn River which are tributaries of the Mekhong River.The minority group comprises 3 tribes: the Lisu, Akha and Mian.The last 10 years has seen the agricultural practice in these communities developing from subsistent state into commercialization which results in the degradation of land, water and forest. The demand for big areas for growing agricultural product and the widespread application of chemical substance have caused the degradation of the environment. Simultaneously, the poor management of burning farmland by man has devastated the natural forest to a great extent. The product of this burning has brought about the climatic change resulting in the mounting natural variance such as more frequent flood, untimely rain, drought and increasing numbers of pests. The application of chemical in agriculture has damage the quality of soil .The accumulating chemical residue in the soil has been washed into rivers causing toxic pollution to water species and human beings as well. Unless this problem is solved at the community-level, the consequence will certainly be prominent at the country and global level. All of these environmental problems ,as is well understood, are the result of ignorance, inadequate education and lack of awareness of communities while various groups in the communities, such as, community committee, women and youth group lack coordination, participation, decentralization and innovation to solve the problems. Eventually, CBOs and communities are weakened and unable to cope with the threatening environmental degradation.

The CBO Capacity-building for Highland Environmental Development project focuses on raising awareness, encouraging participatory approach, building capacity of CBOs, promoting environmentally-friendly agriculture as well as encouraging rotating fund system for local occupation. The project stresses on project development, implementation planning by the development of groups in communities, i.e., village committee, women group, culatural group and youth group such that the groups will be the local working group that raises awareness among local people, encourage them to solve the problems of communities and environment both at local and networking-level .Thus the group will be the genuine CBO possessing capacity and integrity to cope with the natural resource efficiently By using cultural and local approach, the project can be replicated among other communities.

Thoughts for Project Development:

The diagram below depicts how the project activates the forum and congregation of various groups such as women group, village committee, cultural leader group and youth group. After the forum and grouping, the project will give support by providing education, training and workshop. The CBO is thus able to solve the environmental problem by applying cultural and local approach. The overall result is peaceful livelihood and well-being of people. Later on, these people are able to develop environmental projects at networking-level in the longer term.

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

1. To educate communities and raise environmental conservation awareness by participatory approach.
2. To strengthen CBO in the area of sustainable environmental and natural resources management.
3. To promote environmentally-friendly agriculture, to reduce area required for agriculture, chemical substance, slash-and-burn practice and land degradation.



Activities to be carried out under project:

1.To convene a meeting for committee to develop project by participatory method.
2. To devise the implementation plan for 3-month period,6-month period and one-year period.
3. To disseminate project to communities and committee members through open forum and meeting.
4. To congregate people, study and collect data & information in the communities.
5. To provide training for volunteer and community leaders by participatory method.
6. To provide participatory workshop to communities.
7. To study and gather indigenous knowledge for environment management.
8. To launch campaign and disseminate information through media and radio.

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:

1. Minority groups in the target areas.
2. Committee members of the communities
3. Leaders of cultural group
4. Community Forestry Organization
5. LOKWA Programme
6. Tambol Administrative Organization (TAO)

Anticipated results of project:

1. Average people gain knowledge understand and have awareness in sustainable environmental protection.
2. CBOs are strengthened in the area of sustainable natural resource and environmental protection.
3. People and community leaders practise more on environmentally-friendly agriculture, especially, integrated farming.
4. CBO in each community get congregated and establish networking for environment and natural resources protection.
5. Youths possess awareness in the management of land, water and forest resources as
well as the application of renewable energy.