Forest Management by Local Wisdom-based and Policy Process by Mae Prik Subdistrict Administration Organization (SAO) Mae Suai, Chiang Rai 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, Doi Luang National Park Protection Unit, Mae Suai District Administration Organization, Chiang Rai Provincial Administrative Organization, Mae Fah Luang University, 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 -2- 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 -3- 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 Thailand, 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 Lao River, 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 ~ 3 ~ 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