Forest Management by Local Wisdom-based

and Policy Process

by

Mae Prik Subdistrict Administration Organization (SAO)

Mae Suai,

PREFACE

Mae Prik Subdistrict Administration Organization (SAO), Mae Suai, Chiang Rai, recognized the urgency of the problem in forest management. With the objectives of coexistence between local people and forest, locals making a living from it and the abundance of forests, Mae Prik SAO developed the innovation called ‘A Local Wisdom-based Policy Innovation in Forest Management’. This innovation was driven by cooperation and shared responsibilities between government, private sector and civil society for integration of the plans into action for each network partner. The network parties include the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation of Chiang Rai, Provincial office of Natural Resources and Environment Chiang Rai, Forest Fire Control Chiang Rai, Protection Unit, Administration Organization, Chiang Rai Provincial Administrative Organization, , Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, The Mirror Foundation, Mae Prik subdistrict volunteer wildfire patrol team, and civil society. Hence, Mae Prik SAO has established the wildfire prevention center consisting of the operating systems as followed: 1) Management Information System (MIS) for wildfire management 2) Forest area Geographic Information System (GIS)

-2- 3) Wildfire Watch Network operating system 4) Forest area management operating system These operating systems could help integrating the plan into action and work as an information service center in order to efficiently and effectively solve and manage the wildfire issue. The objectives of the center are to encourage the local people to utilize the forest area instead of destroying or exploiting it, to encourage the reforestation through rituals and beliefs to enhance participation from the locals, to integrate the action plans between locals, as the forest creators, the communities, as the fire watch network, and related parties, as the measures implementers. Most importantly, the main focus was to promote coexistence of the local people and the forest, in which the people sustainably make a living from the forest without destroying it. Mae Prik Subdistrict Administration Organization (SAO)

Mae Suai, Chiang Rai November 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.Introduction 1

2.Problems 2

3.Challenges 3

4.Solutions 4

5.Innovations 5

6.Objectives 7

7.KPIs 8

8.Procedures 8

9.Adaptability 13

10.Resources 13

11. Outcomes 14

12.Problems and obstacles 17

13. Problem-solving 17

14.Knowledge transfer 17

15.Assessment 19

16.Institutional Setup 21

17.Lessons Learned 21 TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Mae Prik subdistrict boundary 1

Figure 2: Community way of life in conserving forests 2 and water sources

Figure 3: Damaged forest areas 3

Figure 4: The boundaries of arable land 4

in the forest zone

Figure 5: Community participation in Mae Prik forest fire 5 fighting and reforestation

Figure 6: Establishment of wildfire prevention center 6 in Mae Prik SAO

Figure 7: Wildfire prevention and management training 6 with partner organizations and wildfire patrol team operation

Figure 8: The collaboration between the local community 9 and partner organizations

Figure 9: Knowledge transfer about the coexistence 10 between local people and forest

Figure 10: Occupational promotion activities for planting 10 and processing forest products

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Figure 11: Local wisdom-based activities to enhance 11 engagement

Figure 12: Knowledge transfer activities about 11 the use of local herbs to students

Figure 13: MIS demonstration and firebreak 11 construction

Figure 14: GIS demonstration and Assam Tea planting 12 in the forest area

Figure 15: Setting up Wildfire Watch Network 12 and community forest guard volunteers

Figure 16: Forest firefighting actions by the community 12 volunteer firefighters

Figure 17: Locals making a living from forest and 14 processing forest products

Figure 18: operation and the use of Line Application 15 to enhance efficiency

Figure 19: The statistics of Hot Spots in Mae Suai, 15 Chiang Rai

Figure 20: Comparison of Statistical data of Hot Spots 16 in Mae Suai, Chiang Rai

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Figure 21: Local wisdom-based forest conservation 16 and participation of network Partners in increasing forest area

Figure 22: Information service center of Wildfire 17

Watch Network operating system

Figure 23: Reforestation to publicize in the website 18 of Mae Phrik SAO

Figure 24: Wildfire prevention and management 18 training for community leaders and Forest guard volunteers

Figure 25: The meeting of district administration chiefs 19 to approve Mae Prik SAO’s status as the model organization for wildfire prevention and management

A Local Wisdom-based Policy Innovation in Forest Management

Mae Prik Subdistrict Administration Organization (SAO), Mae Suai, Chiang Rai

1. Introduction

Mae Prik Subdistrict Administration Organization(SAO) is located at 104 Village No. 13, Ban Pang Sang Pattana, in the area of 551716 of the map of , UTM 4948-III- 7071. It is located 2 kilometers away from the Mae Suai District Office in the southeast on the National Highway No. 118, at the range of 129 - 130. Mae Prik is divided into 13 villages, consisting of 2,380 households or 5,642 inhabitants. (Department Of Provincial Administration, Ministry of the Interior, May 2019)

Figure1: Mae Prik Subdistrict boundary

Mae Prik’s forest area covers approximately 6,468 acres, or 68.83 percent of total area in Mae Prik Subdistrict, according to Mae Prik SAO’s Strategy Plan (2018 -2022). The topography is a steep mountainous terrain which is 800 metres above sea level. This area is the water source forest of Mae Prik creek, Huay Hang creek and Huay Lau creek and one of the tributaries of , the main river that plays a big part as the source of consumption of household, agricultural, and industrial sector in Mae Prik subdistrict. The beneficiaries

~ 1 ~ include 1,984 households from 11 villages. (Department Of Provincial Administration, May 2019)

Mae Prik forest is a tropical forest. The plantation consists of teak, padauk and various types of bamboo. The locals live in the forest area and, thus, live with the beliefs and rituals such as reforestation, the ordination of a tree, weir construction and worshipping the water deities.

Figure 2: Community way of life in conserving forests and water sources

The main religion practiced in Mae Prik Subdistrict is Buddhism. The local wisdom that is the identity of the community includes local dialect, the use of local herbs as medicines, and handicraft from village intellectuals such as bladesmiths, basketries, and woodcarvers. Important economic wild products are Assam tea, coffee, wild honey, and bamboo worms, which reflects the abundance of forests.

2. Problems

Due to high slope areas which are remote and dangerous and due to the limited number of the officers to patrol and protect the area, some poor locals invade in the forest area for hunting, foraging and doing the shifting cultivation for a living. Mae Prik SAO’s statistics indicated that approximately 791 acres of the forest was damaged, accounted for 12.23 percent of the total forest area. These problems lead to wildfire and forest degradation,

~ 2 ~ destruction of natural resources, and effect on health such as respiratory diseases, skin disorder, and the risk to develop the diseases caused by low immunity.

Additionally, poverty is one of the main contributing factors of the locals exploiting the forest areas for agricultural activities, causing the reduction of forest area.

Figure 3: Damaged forest areas

3. Challenges

Mae Prik SAO has indicated the boundaries to divide the arable land in Mae Prik forest zone as the policy was initiated in order to increase the forest area, to promote coexistence between locals and forest, in which the people sustainably make a living from the forest without destroying it.The main targets according to SDGs’ goals are to promote the cooperation between related parties and to create the mechanisms in forest management which can manage all types of forests in a sustainable manner, stop locals from destroying the forest, and promote reforestation. Thus, the challenges in forest management are as followed:

1. How to change the ‘forest destroyers’ into ‘forest planters’ who can make a living from the forest without destroying it 2. How to enhance the cooperation between local communities and partner organizations, in which they could participate in forest restoration and reduce redundant processes 3. How to enable the forest area to be a sustainable resource for the community

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Figure 4: The boundaries of arable land in the forest zone of Mae Prik Subdistrict

4. Solutions

The Mae Prik SAO implemented a policy that enabled the people to live in harmony with the forest and revitalize it so that they could make a living without destroying the forest. Through beliefs and rituals, the community took part in the wildfire management by keeping watch of the forest. Economic mechanisms promoted sustainable income generation from forest resources, and the local wisdoms allowed the engagement from the public, private and civil sector in the problem-solving process.The solutions for the stakeholders are as follows.

( 1 ) The group considered as ‘former forest destroyers’ would be given to support to coexist and make a living from the forest, this, turning into the ‘forest saviours’. They were also encouraged to join the Forest Volunteer Watch group, as to develop a sustainable social capital.

( 2 ) For the local community, social control mechanisms based on local wisdoms would increase engagement in the restoration and conservation, leading to the establishment of the Wildfire Watch Network in the area, and the regulations on

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the usage of the local forest areas.Ultimately, the community could achieve sustainable self-development.

( 3 ) Partner organizations gathered information and administered the solutions to wildfire problems in the area. The Wildfire Prevention Center by Mae Prik SAO acted as the coordinator for partner organizations and the community in accessing the area, monitoring wildfire and extinguishing it, with the main objective of enriching the forest area and river sources, which would serve as the source of food and incomes for the community, leading to a sustainable approach to wildfire and forest management.

Figure 5: Community participation in Mae Prik forest fire fighting and reforestation

5. Innovation

This local wisdom-based innovation was developed from a collaborative partnership between the community and partner organizations to promote sustainable coexistence between human and nature. The Mae Prik SAO collaborated with the related parties to set up the Wildfire Prevention Center, which served as the coordinating and learning facility. This was a mission of the local administration organizations to manage the forests and natural resources, driven by the following operating systems.

1) the Wildfire Management Information System (WMIS) for wildfire management - the missions include hot spot detection, firebreak construction, and promoting the wildfire prevention knowledge.

2) The Forest Geographic Information System (FGIS) - the missions include accessing coordinates of forest area, promoting commercialization of wild products without destroying the forest and utilization of the forest based on local wisdom.

3) the Forest Watch Network - the missions include promoting the village’s Wildfire Prevention Center establishment and setting up community forest guard volunteers.

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4) the Wildfire Patrol Team - the missions include encouraging fast action in wildfire patrols as well as setting up community volunteer firefighters.

Figure 6: Establishment of wildfire prevention center in Mae Prik SAO

These systems were suitable to the local context and concretely reached Thailand and Southeast Asia’s goals in forest development. The WMIS and FGIS were used as the database in searching for the hot spots and the location of the wildfires, and then the information would be sent to the firefighters in the Wildfire Watch Network. This also allowed the community to access to the forest areas, learn from them and make a living from them in a concrete and optimal way.

Figure 7: Wildfire prevention and management training with partner organizations And wildfire patrol team operation

This innovation was inspired by the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation’s mission in integrating collaboration from the governmental organizations and

~ 6 ~ local communities to solve wildfires in Thailand based on Thailand’s Wildfire Strategies and Preventive Measures.

The SAO recognized the importance of the community’s engagement and prioritized the needs and suggestions from the locals as the owners of the area. They also took part in driving the mission, with the assistance from partner organizations and information technology systems such as the WMIS and the FGIS. Such collaboration gave rise to the initiative ‘A Local Wisdom-based Policy Innovation in Forest Management’.

6.Objectives

This initiative aimed to solve and prevent wildfire, which greatly damaged the forest and natural resources. The challenge was how to change people’s behaviors from destroying the forest into earning incomes from it, while conserving it at the same time. Solving poverty was the key to tackle the causes of wildfire, so the community and partner organizations gathered to administer a policy that would allow the locals to sustainably generate incomes from forest resources, and engage in the process of reforestation, wildfire prevention and forest conservation. The objectives are

(1) to promote income generation from the forest without destroying it (2) to engage the community and partner organizations in the conservation and reforestation and reduce duplication of efforts, creating the sense of belonging, and (3) to increase the forest area for it become a sustainable source of food

The fact that the community and partner organizations plated a crucial role in operating the Wildfire Prevention Center makes this projectsuitable for the second category, “Promoting integrated mechanisms for sustainable development”. This initiative is in alignment with Goal 15 on the 2030 Agenda, particularly the sub-goal 15.9 on integrating ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts.

The initiative was successful in enhancing the integrated cooperation mechanisms from all related parties in solving and preventing wildfire based on the concepts of poverty and inequality reduction, forest planting, forest as the food source, wild products commercialization without destruction, and job creation for people affected by poverty or ~ 7 ~ previously involved in arson. It is local wisdom-based forest conservation and expansion through beliefs and rituals that encourage engagement from the community, with the goal of sustainable forest development.

Moreover, the concept of “leaving no one behind” is relevant to the initiative’s objectives on providing equity of access to forest resources, achieving self-dependence and attaining social capital development with the help from the public, private and civil sectors. The initiative has made a significant contribution in combatting wildfire and forest encroachment in the northern area of Thailand, which are listed under the urgent agenda No. 9 on natural resource security, and the balance between conservation and sustainable use. It also supported the operation of larger organizations, particularly the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, which includes the Wildfire Division, Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the Royal Forest Department and the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion. Moreover, on the regional scale, the initiative is in alignment with the Regional Forum on Environment and Health in Southeast and East Asian Countries.

7.KPIs

The indicators of success of this innovation, consistent with the objectives, were (1) self-sustaining incomes from the forest (2) decreased or zero hotspot area, and (3) an increase inforest area.

8.Procedures

The local administrators, officers, representatives from all sectors signed an MOU in preventing wildfire and haze in 2016. Ms. PhattarawadeePanyabun, the District Registrar, acted as the director of the Mae Suai Wildfire and Haze Prevention Center, with the assistance from the Mae Suai Police Office, the local administration organizations in the district, the Local Administration Department, the Mae Suai Wildfire Control Division, National Park Forest Protection Unit(Doi Luang), and the Mae Prik SAO. The responsibility was transferred to the local administration organization, as indicated in The Determining Plan and Procedures in Decentralizations to the Local Administrative Organization B.E. 2542.

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Figure 8: The collaboration between the local community and partner organizations

The Mae Prik SAO set up a working party (patrolling and fire extinguishing), as stated in Mae Prik SAO Decree No. 70/2561 effective on February 2, 2018, with the collaboration from the following parties -

(1) Chiang Rai Forest Fire Operation Center (2) National Park Forest Protection Unit (Doi Luang) (3) educational institutes in Mae Prik (4) local administrators (5) All Village Committees in Mae Prik (6) volunteer firefighters.

The procedures in putting the plan into practice are as follows. 1. The local administrators, community leaders and partner organizations joined force to spread awareness to the target groups about the current problems in forest conservation. 2. The causes of wildfire and encroachment were determined by the working party, and the information was then used to administer the solutions. 3. The working party administered an operation plan, which consisted of measures in forest planting, wildfire prevention, and forest conservation.The Wildfire Prevention Center by Mae Prik SAO acted as the coordinator between partner organizations and the community.

4. The local administrators, community leaders and partner organization followed up the progress and performed assessments, the indicator of success was the increase in incomes and job promotion, which were achieved by revitalizing the forests; as a result, the people were able to benefit from them, without destroying them. Also, local wisdom-based social control mechanism werethe indicators of cooperation and engagement from the locals, as the owners and beneficiaries of the areas.

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For the follow-up and assessment, the increase in forest area, river source abundance, and incomes was the indicator of success. Local-wisdom-based social control mechanisms created engagement and the sense of mutual ownership.

During the implementation process, there were several key activities to tackle the issue from all dimensions, as follows.

1 . Knowledge transfer about the coexistence between local people and forest, co- hosted by the Royal Projects and the River Source Management (Mae Prik), focused on educating the people about New Theory Agriculture and sufficiency economy.

Figure 9: Knowledge transfer about the coexistence between local people and forest

2. : The Royal Project and the Community Development Office (Mae Suai) co-hosted occupational promotion activities for planting and processing forest products such as Assam tea, coffee, wild honey, and bamboo worms.

Figure 10: Occupational promotion activities for planting and processing forest products

3. Ritualistic local wisdom-based activities such as forest planting, forest ordination, weir construction and water deities worship enhanced engagement and the sense of mutual ownership.

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Figure 11: Local wisdom-based activities to enhance engagement

4., social capital development activities, provided for students by Pa Miang Mae Prik School, village intellectuals and community leaders, promoted the recognition of the values of local herbs and the sense of belonging in the community and the forest.

Figure 12: Knowledge transfer activities about the use of local herbs to students

5. WMIS demonstration was provided to the community to increase the efficiency in locating the hotspots, building firebreaks and educating the people about wildfire prevention.

Figure 13: WMIS demonstration and firebreak construction

6 . The utilization of FGIS was demonstrated to increase efficiency in area access, proper use of forest area, sustainable income generation and local wisdom-based forest utilization.

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Figure 14: GIS demonstration and Assam Tea planting in the forest area

7 . Figure 15 shows the activities by the Forest Watch Network and the establishment of the Wildfire Watch Network and the community forest guard volunteer network.

Figure 15: Setting up Wildfire Watch Network and community forest guard volunteers

8. Operations in wildfire spots allowed the working party to develop efficient and effective procedures in accessing the area and extinguish the fire quickly. Also, the community volunteer firefighter network was established to strengthen the community and the sustainability of forest management.

Figure 16: Forest firefighting actions by the community volunteer firefighters

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The outcome of the project is the change in behavior from forest destruction to revitalization and the increase in incomes from wild products. However, the main obstacle was the limitations of bureaucratic reimbursement, so the Mae Prik SAO contacted the partner organizations and the community to inform that the expenses that could not be reimbursed by the government would be covered by the community. This is in alignment with the principle of integrated project administration in which the community takes part in the administration process and takes responsibility. The community became stronger and independent because of leadership and democracy promotion.

9.Adaptability This initiative was used as an innovation model in forest and wildfire management for other subdistrict administrative organizations in Mae Suai District, . It was recognized by the local authorities as being a collaboration-based innovation with distinctive characteristics of harmoniously integrating the use of high-speed patrol vehicles, WMIS and FGIS, and the Wildfire Watch Network to effectively monitor and prevent wildfire. The result was the increase of forest area from 6,468 to 6,927 acres. The model can be applied to any forest areas in the North, as, research suggests, northern people have the tradition in cohabiting with nature, and the risk behaviours that can contribute to wildfire are similar.

10. Resources The resources used in the initiative are as follows. (1) Human resource – a working party was set up in February 2018 as a coordinator for the partner organizations and the community. (2) Budget – the annual budget for the implementation was 200,000 THB, according to Mae Prik SAO’s Strategy Plan (2018 -2022).

(3) Materials and equipment – the budget of 50,000 THB is reserved for the materials and equipment necessary and sufficient for the wildfire patrol.

(4) Management – the operating systems of the Wildfire Prevention Center were used for effective management and reduction of effort duplication.

The Mae Prik SAO, the main driving force of this initiative, incorporated the engagement from the community and partner organizations, integrated plan and budgets, and database systems. Consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, this would lead to shared planning and decision-making, hence reducing duplication of efforts, yielding better responses to the community’s need and eventually resulting in long-term sustainability.

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11. Outcomes

The outcomes of the initiatives are as follows.

( 1 ) The Mae Prik SAO successfully created a occupational network that generated incomes from the forest without exploitation, as stated in the indicator and the objective no.1. The locals were educated on by the Wildfire Prevention Center about reforestation and human-forest cohabitation, and they formed an occupational network that processed food from wild products for consumption and trade. the community became strong, self-sufficient and self-dependent. The SAO, the Community Development Office (Mae Suai) and the Royal Project joined force to provide professional training in producing quality food and products.

Figure 17: Locals making a living from forest and processing forest products

(2) It was found that there was no incident of wildfire (hotspot) in Mae Prik. The area had a high level of moisture and was in great condition. The indicator no.2 and the objective no.2 were satisfied. The people were vigilant about wildfire and cooperated with the governmental organizations in preventing it. The networks, volunteers and information systems worked harmoniously, so accessing the hotspot areas and extinguishing the fire could be done instantly.

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Figure 18: The operation and the use of Line Application to enhance efficiency

Hotspots by Subdistricts February 12 – April 12, 2018

Conserved Reserved District Subdistrict Agriculture Total Forest Forest Wawee 0 0 0 0 Tha Ko 0 1 0 1 Mae Suai 0 0 0 0 Mae Suai Mae Prik 0 0 0 0 Jedi Luang 0 0 0 0 Sri Thoi 0 1 0 1 Pa Daet 0 0 0 0 Total 0 2 0 2

Figure 19: The statistics of Hot Spots in Mae Suai, Chiang Rai

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The information was taken from the Forest Fire Control, Conserved Area Management Office 15 (Chiang Rai).

Hotspots in 2016

Conserved Forest Reserved Forest Agriculture

29 59 27 0 0 6 1 0 58 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 5 170 1 0 5 23 0

Information by Protected Areas Regional Office 15 Chiang Rai, Wildfire Control Division Hotspot Areas during February 17 to April 16, 2016 (by subdistrict) Figure 20: Comparison of Statistical data of Hot Spots in Mae Suai, Chiang Rai

(3) As for the indicator no.3 and the objective no.3, it was found that the forest area increased and therefore, could provide more food to the community. The Wildfire Prevention Center, the Chiang Rai Provincial Administrative Organization, the Royal Project and the River Source Management Section (Mae Prik) promoted the engagement from the community in forest planting, weir construction, forest ordination and water deities worship. These ritualistic activities created the sense of ownership among the locals and sustainability for the forest.

Figure 21: Local wisdom-based forest conservation and participation of partner organizations in increasing forest area

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12. Problems and obstacles

Despite the positive behavior changes and the increase in incomes resulted from beliefs and rituals, the operation costs were high and not specified as the expenses for governmental organizations, so the SAO could not set up a budget for these activities.

13. Solutions

As to follow the protocols, the Mae Prik SAO discussed with the community and partner organizations and reached the conclusion that, based on the principle of integrated management, if there were expenses that could not be reimbursed, the community would be responsible for them. Taking responsibilities increased leadership and democracy, thus strengthening the community.

14. Knowledge Transfer

The SAO recognized that it was important to educate the locals and students about conservation, reforestation, and sustainability. The idea of human-nature cohabitation needed to be transferred to the public, private and civil sectors, as it was vital to the process of coordination and integrated implementation. The following actions were taken to provide insights to different related parties.

( 1 ) A learning center was set up within the Wildfire Prevention Center, under the responsibility of the Wildfire Watch Network. It kept records and information for planning and making continuous public relations with the community about wildfire prevention.

Figure 22: Information service center of Wildfire Watch Network operating system

(2) The outcomes of wildfire-related activities were provided to the public on the SAO’s website.

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Figure 23: Information about reforestation publicized on the Mae Prik SAO’s website

(3) The problems that occurred in the area and the mechanism-optimizing methods were analyzed and synthesized. The Knowledge and experience of the officers who provided training for the forest guard volunteers and the volunteer firefighters, as to maximize the operational integration.

Figure 24: Wildfire prevention and management training for community leaders and

forest guard volunteers

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(4 ) The Mae Prik SAO was selected as the model district-level organization during the meeting of district administration chiefs. The Wildfire Prevention Center was recognized as the model for efficient wildfire patrol and access.

Figure 25: The meeting of district administration chiefs to approve Mae Prik SAO’s status as the model organization for wildfire prevention and management

15. Assessment

The initiative awarded by received an Outstanding Prize in Good Local Administration in 2019 from the Office of the Decentralization to the Local Government Organization Committee. The Mae Prik SAO reported to the Office of the Decentralization to the Local Government Organization Committee about the outcomes, and the National Institute of Development Administration performed a transparency assessment based on interviews with the staff and questionnaires distributed to the local people by using the CIPP model, which is consisted of the following dimensions.

1. Context – the area and the related parties’ engagement in driving the initiative was considered during the assessment. 2. Input - this dimension focused on the readiness of the 4M (Material, Method, Machine and Man). Man stands for the people who are ready for the operation, Material for the sufficiency of budgets and cost-effectiveness, Machine for the sufficient availability of equipment and IT integration, and lastly, Method for the collaboration with related parties to reduce duplication of efforts.

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3. Process – the mechanisms that enhanced engagement in wildfire prevention and forest management with efficient and effective operating systems were assessed. 4. Product – the outcomes of the initiative regarding community engagement, the sense of mutual ownership, human-nature cohabitation, sustainable incomes generation, were assessed.

All the criteria set by the Committee were fulfilled, as will be illustrated below.

(1) The innovation was relevant and contextually suitable to the problem at hand. A cause of wildfire was poverty and encroachment and this innovation was successful at educating the people about how to make a living from the living and changing their behaviors from destructive to constructive. The result is that the forest became the source of incomes for the community, concretely addressing both poverty and wildfire at the same time.

(2) Local wisdom-based mechanisms enhanced the engagement of the people through rituals and beliefs. This created the sense of mutual ownership and greater collaboration

( 3 ) The outcomes and outputs were the increase in forest area and river source abundance, providing more food and income to the community. The community and related organizations had good relationship and collaboration in solving wildfire and managing the forest area.

(4 ) The knowledge from the innovation was shared with the community and partner organizations. Various forms of communication, including digital, were used as the channel to enhance mutual learning.

(5) What made the initiative sustainable was the needs from related parties resulted in a clear task assignment and association, and the implementation process prioritized area and community access so it was able to promptly respond the problems.

The results showed that the implementation was cost-effective. The fact that the community and partner organizations took part in wildfire prevention and forest management eliminated redundancy, saved costs, and was able to put the plan into practice. Forest destroyers became forest saviours, the community contributed to forest conservation and expansion, and the operation was efficiently and effectively driven by information technology systems. The challenge of living in harmony with nature was overcome, and the model could be applied to other areas in the vicinity.

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16. Institutional Setup This initiative was powered by The Subdistrict Council and Subdistrict Administration Organization Act B.E. 2537 regarding the duty in natural resource and forest management. The Mae Prik SAO categorized the mission under the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation section, the Chief Administrator’s Office, with the local administrator as the director of the Wildfire Prevention Center. The working process is as follows. The first step was holding a meeting on the administration of an integrated plan between partner organizations, which included the WaweeRoayl Project, Highland Research and Development Institute, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Tourism Authority of Thailand (Chiang Rai), Mae Prik River Source Management Division, Mae Suai Local Administration Division and other SAOs. Then, the system for preventing and solving wildfire was implemented, along with the cooperation from the community, and an MOU and an agreement on forest area usage were signed by related parties.

17.Lessons Learned

The lessons learned from the implementation are as follows.

( 1 ) In terms of area-based forest management, the steep mountain terrains were dangerous and thus, limited the access; therefore, the Mae Prik SAO has planned to create firebreaksaround the mountain ridge and streams to stop the fire from reaching high-risk areas and installed large water containers in those areas. The area would become the fire extinguishing point for the community that facilitated the officers’ operation as well.

(2 ) The SAO has planned to install large containers between houses so that the fire can be extinguished promptly in case of the spread to the residential areas.

(3) The SAO has planned to replace the traditional agricultural methods by educating the people on New Theory Agriculture in hope to increase forest resources, which, in turn, sustainably provides food and incomes for the people.

In conclusion, the initiative increased the forest area in Mae Prik Subdistrict by approximately 791 acres. The river sources were in great condition, yielding wild products that became a sustainable source of food and incomes for the people. The community was active in conserving and revitalizing their forest by using local wisdoms. The regulations on forest area usage were agreed upon, showing the the sense of belonging and mutual ownership. It has successfully reached Sustainable Development Goal 15, proving that when

~ 21 ~ human and the forest live in order, peace and harmony, sustainable forest development can be attained.

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