Project Detail

Rehabilitation of Biodiversity in Wang Basin

Project location/Targeted Population:
Situated in the Indo-Chinese sub region of the bio-unit, the target location represents an integrated part of forest ecosystems and fresh water ecosystems. Target population comprising local Thai and three ethnic minority groups ,i.e. the Kareni , Lahu and Mien , dwell in the vicinity of Jae Sorn National Park and Mae Suk Mae Soi National Forest. Paddy farming, husbandry, cash crop , forest products and general services are sources of income and livelihood. Especially, the Kareni traditional rotating cultivation has preserved more than 50 endemic species. Daily energy ranges from grid electricity, fire-woods, kerosene, and LPG.

Since approximately 90 % of target area is mountainous ,with limited cultivated land, target
population are not able to secure their income. In addition, under modern day lifestyle, more income is needed to cover the ever-increasing expense. Many end up in debt.Therefore, forest and its provision offer an easy solution.Apart from consuming directly from forest product such as vegetable,mushroom, bamboo shoot, edible animals, etc, wood and other rare species serve as a good source of additional income. Worse does it appears, when indigent surrounding communities participate in usurping the biodiversity in target location. The location has become a feeding ground for many communities dwelling in this ecosystems.

Through nursery and regeneration of species that constitutes food, medicine and other forms of human use in forest ecosystems, marginal lands and garden will help increase biodiversity. Man and forest are able to co-exist. In addition, instillation of new generation by using local knowledge will ensure the continuity. All these activities contribute to global environment.

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:

1. Target population of eight villages are direct beneficiaries
2. Khun Soi Watershed Unit, Royal Forestry Department
3. Biology Section, Department of Science, Chiangmai University

Activities to be carried out under project:

1.Convening meeting, surveying and compiling resources inventories, training on and building facility for nursery
2.Preparing target population and closely monitoring
3.Compiling curriculum , devising educational media, interacting among groups
4.Compiling list of species, conducting open forum among communities and participatory evaluation

Anticipated Results/Immediate Outputs of Project:

1.Compiled list of species in community forest
2. Eight operational nurseries
3. Reforested area @ two acres per communities
4. Regenerated area within at least 50 families in the entire target area
5. Emergence of at least one curriculum per community
6. Emergence of one set of educational media per community
7. One set of dissemination on species list, regeneration and reports on M & E

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Soi Basin Natural Resources Rehabilitation Project

Country:

Thailand

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 22,392.33

Co-Financing Cash:

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 5,468.71

Project Number:

THA/04/04

Start Date:

12/2004

End Date:

12/2006

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Project Results

I. Monitoring visit by the NC (January 5 , 2006): Baan Thung Yang (or Karen Field Village) one of the eight target village was visited. It was situated in the Jae Sorn National Park ,even though the early community members had been there for nearly 100 years , i.e. before the declaration of the concerning acts. At the village church, the visiting team met with project leaders, who were elders in both Thai and ethnic minority Karen communities, and discuss general situation of ecosystems and the courses of project activities. With proposed activities in process and progress, it was noted that these project members possessed local knowledge on biodiversity and determined to practice the inheritable local approaches on rotation farming and sustainable agriculture.

In the nursery of the village, some 100 saplings of native species of food and medicinal value were seen thriving. Seeds of various native species were in collection. Two agricultural plots of members were witnessed with thriving native species.

The area was a forest and fresh water ecosystem of the Wang River. Apart from contributing to the supply of fresh waster to people downstream, the forest provided countless species of food and medicinal values to this and other surrounding communities.

One major issue concerned the forthcoming effects of the Community Forest Act , which was currently still on pending. If the act was promulgated with a ? special area? clause, it would definitely worry many communities like this one. Any community settling in a national park or a forest reserve ,or other type of land but with ecological significance, would one day be probably notified that their houses and farming lands were classified as special areas. The Thai parliament would discuss and vote on the act in March 2006 , one of the agenda would be on this ?Special Area?. For the time being, the lives of these vulnerable groups seemed to be in a limbo.

RECORDS OF NON-GEF CONTRIBUTION:
Half - day of transportation from Rak thai Foundation and personnel = Baht: 2,500

II. Mid-course Evaluation Workshop( 25-27 January 2006):
The project participated in the of Thailand-Year-6 GEF/SGP of the same grant cycle . It was one of 27 projects sending project leaders or representatives to report to the workshop on progress of activities, immediate outputs/results that could be witnessed or observed, problems / issues and solution.

With only a few exception, majority of projects concisely reported progress and summarized immediate outputs and results. The report format included from power point to photos to dissemination materials, and to verbal presentation. There was one project bringing product of chemical-free vegetable for sale and show at the venue.

All presentations mentioned about problems and issues, with varying degree, but they had been corrected or rectified. Or at least, the project possessed idea or approach to do so. However, there were a few projects that presented problems and hot issues on environment soliciting further discussion and advice from participants.

On the final day, participants spent half-an-hour sharing idea on forging future networking of the year-6 projects and submitted approach for sustainability. Majority of participants agreed to be tied by natural network, without any regulation or commitment, but hearts and minds. There were two members pledging their times and skill to help others according to their availability.

As a reminder and incentives to ensure most effective implementation of remaining activities, the NC proposed the idea of strategic project where successful SGP projects could gather together so that community actions affecting global benefits would be clearer.

The workshop had seen substantial sharing of experience, especially on related issues of project activities. Somehow, it was felt that the remaining activities would be carried out to their completion. Another evidence, a natural network of environment was formed with a lot of participants winning one another hearts.

III. The progress report (March 26, 2006):
Activities carried out:
Convening meeting, surveying and compiling resources inventories, training on and building facility for nursery

Immediate Results of activitieis:
1.Compiled list of 53 endemic species in community forest
2. Collected seeds of 11 endemic species
3. Eight operational nurseries in eight villages

Some evinced impact:
1. Community members gained concepts on management of community forest to rehabilitate biodiversity in their own zones.
2. The project acquired approaches on maintenance native plant species with food, medicinal value and for household use.
3. The project learnt about forest and plant structure , propagation , ready to transfer the knowledge.

IV. The completion report (December 6, 2007):

Activities carried out :
1. Convening meeting, surveying and compiling resources inventories, wild species bleeding, training on and building facility for nursery
2.Preparing target population and closely monitoring
3. Compiling curriculum , devising educational media, and building nature study trail
4. Compiling list of species, conducting open forum among communities and participatory evaluation

Results of Projects:

1. Eight operational nurseries in eight villages bleeding 50 native species with 27 for food, 20 for construction and pigments , one for traditional medicine and two of economic value
2. Compiled list of 361 native species
3. Community forest area of about 27 ha being reforested with selected species
4. Some portion of cultivated area of 53 small farmers being grown with seeds of wild species
5. The curriculum compiled through cooperation of five community schools, communities, Jae Son National Park, Watershed Management Unit and the project, being used according to context of each participating school
6. Technical skill on wild species bleeding being shared and adopted in the eight nurseries

Project Communication:

The project participated in the meeting with the Lampang Province People Network and the Education Network for Youth in the four regions. Members of the two networks paid attention on bleeding techniques of wild species and planned to pay a visit to project location.

Participatory Evaluation:
Organized twice using community open forum, on September 27, 2006 and August 20, 2007, each forum was attended by 40 core leaders from eight villages and representatives from local government agencies.

The three main activities discussed were:
1. Bleeding of wild species
2. Developing learning process
3. Planting the bled species

Outcomes and Impacts:

1. Project members in eight villages seemed to gain self-confidence in bleeding wild species. There was a saying in the village which went like this ? Bleed your own (wild) species , do not wait for a donation ( of seedlings)?
2. Community schools paid more attention on the importance of developing learning process for children on forest conservation. Community elders were linked to transfer relevant knowledge.
3. Cross transfer of analysis process and procedure from the project to other parties within the province were witnessed. Several communities adopted both wild species bleeding technique and local curriculum development in the formulation of community action plans.
4. Better understanding and cooperation among the Khun Soi Watershed Management Unit , Jae Sorn National Park, Mae Chor Pha Watershed Management Unit , the project and community members were witnessed. All these parties began to provide mutual support to one another on rehabilitation and protection of hydrological protection forest.

Future plan:

The community would keep on the activities with support of the other partners mention above. However, some additional activities include:

1. Improving the quality of the compiled knowledge on wild species bleeding
2. Developing learning process to suit people of new generation
3. Forging networks and parties with in surrounding communities and communities of other basins in the province and the northern region
4. Persistently supporting building family forest and biological diversity in community forest

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