With social media and academics, Thai villagers save ancestral forest

BOON RUEANG, THAILAND - The villagers of Ban Boon Rueang in northern Thailand had long known that they benefited from the community wetland forest that supplied them with fish and firewood, but it wasn't until devastating floods in 2010 that they realised just how much.

Destruction of natural resources, the denial of forest rights and loss of community lands in Thailand for industry and tourism have hurt farmers and villagers, many of whom lack formal tenure. "Convincing the government to conserve the wetland forest was a momentous achievement, made through advocacy and dialogue," said Mr David Ganz, executive director of RECOFTC, the Centre for People and Forests, which backed the community.

"Activism and knowledge are key to conserving natural resources. We have to educate the community that they have a constitutional right to participate in natural resource management," said Mr Roikaew, who backed the Boon Rueang campaign. At a ceremony to celebrate the Equator Prize earlier this month, Chiang Rai province acting governor Kritpetch Petcharaburanin acknowledged the community's efforts.

At the same time, forests face constant threats from industrial projects. Before the SEZ, Ban Boon Rueang had defeated proposals for factories and plantations.

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