The news of a Special Economic Zone on their doorstep was of little concern to the laid-back community in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai. They had their forest, or “natural supermarket” as they like to call it, and life was good.
Villagers from Ban Boon Ruang Moo 2 gather round a fire to keep warm on a chilly morning in Chiang Rai. Their livelihood is tied to the community forest which is now under threat from commercial developments brought on by the state plan to establish a special economic zone. The community’s own survey of the forest, they say, confirms its importance in providing food and an ecological balance. photos by the Thai Society of Environmental Journalists
The villagers of Ban Boon Ruang Moo 2 have lived off the forest for generations. They pick wild plants, fruits and herbs which end up on the dinner table or are used as medicines.
Their’s has been a sustainable existence. The village folk exploit the forest’s bounty, but they need to enforce rules to prevent plundering and preserve what Mother Nature has given them.
Then came reality in the form of the SEZ, which the villagers now see as a serious threat to their natural existence.
They have made tremendous efforts to preserve the communal forest, only to be told it could be razed by the SEZ project that promises wealth and prosperity. But little seems likely to trickle down to them.
The forest, with its large clumps of wild bamboo and herbs, provides a stable source of food for the community. If maintained properly, says villager Samrit Traichak, 58, the people are free to take what they need within limits.
“No one can cut the bamboo and sell it,” he said, waving a bamboo stick that he uses it to scour the forest floor for sprouts of wild vegetables.
“We’re able to enjoy the forest’s abundance today because of our ancestors who
preserved it by adopting rules,” he said.
The forest rules forbid the sale of firewood and bamboo shoots collected from the forest. Only household consumption is allowed.
If a resident wants to cut down a tree for personal use, he or she must secure prior permission at a community meeting.
Rule breakers are fined, starting from 200 baht depending on the size of the tree they have cut. The fine goes towards supporting community activities. If the rule violation is severe or repeated, the person may face community sanctions.
The government has endorsed the concept of communal forest as part of a strategy that allows locals access to the woods to gather wild food. This in turn motivates them to help conserve the forests.
In Ban Boon Ruang Moo 2, the communal forest is largely made up of 3,000 rai of seasonal wetland, which is periodically flooded by overflow from the Mekong River, a natural border.
The community has a history dating back more than 350 years, when the first local temple was built. The first settlers found a forest rich in plant varieties. At least 102 types of plants including edible ones and herbs are collected by the residents from the forest.
However, the government’s policy to establish the SEZ, which requires large tracts of land to be cleared to accommodate industry and commercial enterprises, has unnerved the villagers.
In mid-2015, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government announced it was going ahead with SEZs in Chiang Rai’s three districts — Chiang Khong, Chiang Sean and Mae Sai —covering a combined 570,000 rai.
The concerns are that the community forest which gives life to Ban Boon Ruang Moo 2 could be earmarked for industrial estate development, threatening the villagers’ food security.
“Government officials claim that this forest is degraded, which is not true at all,” said Prichayessapong Kuruprachayamak, 37, a local resident.
“This forest has been cherished by local villagers for generations. How can anyone ever think of cutting down the trees?” he said.
Prime Minister Prayut confirmed late last month that environmental and health assessments must be conducted before the construction of power plants despite orders issued under Section 44 to clear the way for the development of 10 SEZs in major border provinces.
The premier stressed that construction of power plants will depend on the assessments and environmental impact studies.
Some industrial development projects have encountered legal issues as several areas are considered green and yellow protected zones. If the assessments are not approved, construction will not proceed, Gen Prayut insisted.
Consequently, the communities around Ban Boon Ruang conducted their own surveys of the forest last year to prove it has high value in terms of biodiversity.
Residents surveyed claimed to have witnessed traces of rare and protected animal species, including the footprints or excrement of the large Indian civet, mustelidae and Indo-Chinese cobra. They also said the forest is home to more than 90 species of birds, among the 271 species of plants, wild animals and fish.
Young residents educated in forestry or science helped conduct the survey. They applied their scientific knowledge in measuring forest density and found the forest to be lush, which is a far cry from the authorities’ definition of “degraded forest” which is being cited to justify clear felling to pave the way for SEZ construction.
Now the residents are working with academics on a request to the government to list the Ban Boon Reung community forest as an important national wetland.
They hope their efforts will be recognised by policy makers and result in plans that fit the local context.
“We have a folk tale in our community. Those who preserve the forest will never get lost in there. Those who destroy it will never get away,” said a senior village resident, Karuna Orpanya, 54.
“Some village elders told me that those who care for and respect the forest and get lost in it will be led back to this,” he said, indicating a special bamboo clump.
He hopes this folk tale will be re-told by future generations as a means of preserving the forest.
The residents realise they need to dedicate themselves to the protection of the forest and act on their pledges.
They have agreed to divide the forest into blocks, each assigned to a village household to look after. The families do not own these allotments, but they have the duty to keep watch against encroachment and over-exploitation.
Some families also grow trees in their allotments. The elders have seen the trees planted in their childhood grow and mature.
The residents who fish for a living in the forest wetland fear their livelihood may be destroyed by the forest being annexed into the SEZ.
Ban Boon Ruang forest wetland is a part of the Ing River Basin bordering Lampang and Phayao provinces. It is fed by the Ing River, a tributary of the Mekong.
The forest is seasonally flooded between August and November, creating biodiversity of plants and allowing fish in the Mekong River to migrate to the submerged forest to lay eggs. After the fish mature, they swim back to the Mekong River prior to the dry season.
Some fish will remain in wet ponds and in the Ing River, becoming a source of local food.
Local fishermen have also entered into a “gentleman’s agreement” that bans destructive fishing practices like electrocution and blasting. Fishing in the spawning areas is prohibited. Violators are fined by the community.
“I’m not rich. But I can survive because I can fish and don’t have to pay for food. My kids can get a higher education from the income I earn from other jobs,” said Somkiat Tapina, 50, a local fisherman.
In the fishing season during the flood period, a fisherman can earn 70,000 to 80,000 baht from selling fish. The fishing folk also make supplementary income from farms and being hired as day labourers.
In the last two years, however, the widespread drought has left the Ban Boon Reung forest wetland with less water than usual and a decline in fish stocks.
To compound the problem, hail storms, believed to be the result of a sudden change of climatic pattern, have damaged onion farms. The locals also feel Chinese dams controlling the water volume in the upstream Mekong could be linked to receding water in the Ing River.
Ban Boon Ruang folk pick wild vegetables while growing many varieties in their gardens. The community forest, they say, is blessed with unfamiliar but edible plants and fruits. Some of the trees in the forest produce attractive, odd-shaped flowers.