THAILAND
>> GEF-SGP biodiversity projects
>> UNDP Equator Prize Finalists and Winners
Selected GEF biodiversity projects:
>> Mekong River Basin wetland biodiversity:
The project will involve Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand (funded through non-GEF sources) and Vietnam, assisting them to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity in the lower Mekong wetlands. The project will establish a multi-sectoral planning process at national and regional levels to 1) strengthen macroeconomic and policy frameworks for wetland biodiversity conservation and sustainable use; 2) provide adequate information to support sound policy-making and management, 3) improve human and technical capacity to better conserve and sustainable manage wetlands; and 4) improve community-based natural resource management of wetlands.>> Back to top
Selected GEF-SGP biodiversity projects:
>> Volunteer wildfire fighting:
A community effort to reduce the incidence of wildfire and prevent forest loss through environmental education, afforestation and provision of training on fire prevention.>> Sustainable agroforestry:
A community-based programme to protect forest ecosystems by encouraging the sustainable use of native plants and agroforestry.>> Ethnobotany and medicinal plant conservation:
An effort to protect forest ecosystems through sustainable use of natural resources by identifying and compiling medicinal herbs / plants, encouraging local traditional health practitioners to exchange knowledge and supporting conservation measures.>> Conservation education for youth group:
A community-based programme to raise conservation awareness for youth groups in the locality, with a particular emphasis on bird species.>> Conservation of medicinal plants and transfer of traditional knowledge:
A community-based programme to conserve forest ecosystems by promoting the sustainable use of medicinal plants and the continuance of traditional medical practices.>> Conservation education and school 'greening' programme:
An environmental programme to encourage community participation in forest conservation. Activities have included collection of native plants, building a nursery, planting trees in school grounds and capacity building through field trips.>> Ex situ conservation of native plants:
A community effort to conserve native plants with medicinal value by providing for the ex situ conservation of native plants from an area soon to be inundated by a dam construction project.>> Back to top
UNDP Equator Prize Finalists and Winners:
>> Community Based Integrated Rural Development (CBIRD) Center (Equator Prize 2002 Finalist)
Biodiversity conservation and economic development in the Equatorial Belt are often thought to be incompatible. In Sub Tai village, Thailand, however, local people have shown that these two goals can exist side by side and that, with innovation and determination, practicing sustainable environmental management to promote biodiversity conservation can actually improve prospects for local economic security.
For many years, residents of Sub Tai village were forced out of economic necessity to poach in nearby Khao Yai national park, a repository of rare plant and animal species and Thailand’s oldest national park. Lacking knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices and without recourse to credit, villagers were often forced to supplement their incomes through illegal logging and gathering of forest products. This all began to change in 1985 when the Population and Community Development Association of Bangkok launched a local Environmental Protection Society (EPS) in Sub Tai to deal with issues of economic indebtedness and poaching. This participatory project – the first integrated conservation and development project in Thailand – radically changed the way villagers interacted with the national park. On joining the EPS, villagers signed a commitment that they would not cut down trees or hunt in the park and in return received low-cost loans that allowed them to invest in their future, escape from debt, and chart a new economic vision for the community that didn’t require poaching. CBIRD Center, the community based organization that evolved from the local EPS, is a testament to the strength of the people of Sub Tai’s commitment to ensuring that economic prosperity does not come at the expense of environmental degradation. To ensure that the rich biodiversity of Khao Yai National Park is protected, loans are primarily disbursed for ecological income generating activities such as tree-planting and trekking services.
The benefits of the CBIRD Center's work are many and diverse. Incomes in Sub Tai have near doubled, with the result that many community members have been able to realize their goal of achieving economic self-sufficiency. Since the initiation of the EPS, illegal logging in the park has fallen by 75% and a more certain future for endangered species has been secured.
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>> Pred Nai Community Forestry Group (Equator Prize 2004 Finalist)
This unique community-based organization was formed in 1986 in response to the destruction of one of Thailand’s last remaining mangrove ecosystems and the associated degradation of local fisheries due to unsustainable shrimp farming and logging. Over a 4,800-hectare area, they have developed a sustainable system for management of mangroves and marine resources involving the participation of community members, local government and religious leaders. Pred Nai has managed to conserve and replant mangroves, increase the productivity of crab harvests, and create a Village Saving Fund that ensures conservation efforts are long-lived. The group has also succeeded in promoting collaboration between Pred Nai and neighboring villages through the founding of the Community Coastal Resource Management Network.
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