Designated as a conservation area, Bang Kachao, known as the “green lung” is made up of a network of community forests and local fruit farms making it one of the last few remaining forest/green areas close to the sprawling Bangkok metropolis.
In the past, many of the forest pockets were managed solely by the Forestry Department but with the growth in population and tourism, these forest areas became dumping sites polluting water ways and canals affecting produce as well as the general well-being of the Bang Kachao locals.
The locals have since then started their own conservation network called “Rak Kung Bang Kachao” (We Love Our Bang Kachao) made up of representatives from all 6 districts of Bang Kachao to work with the Forestry Department and start reclaiming the land and turn it into conservation zones managed by locals themselves.
The aim of the tourism project is to design a trail which would take tourists off the beaten path by visiting areas less traveled to understand how locals have come together to protect the forest and learn about their culture and heritage connected to the survival of the forest, as well as their continued struggle for policy support and recognition.
Warangkana Rattanarat, Thailand Country Program Coordinator for RECOFTC - The Center for People and Forests, says that the purpose of organizing this pre-launch visit is to bring together experts who can help the Bang Kachao conservation network further refine the tourism plan before its official launch next year.
RECOFTC’s aim is to work with partners to help mobilize expertise and support around the issue of “people and forests”. We want to raise public awareness on the role communities play in safe-guarding Thailand and the world’s forests and how locals are working together to provide innovative solutions to sustainably manage forests while improving their livelihoods,” said Ms Warangkana.
Ms Warangkana added that apart from this pre-launch visit, RECOFTC will also be organizing a discussion forum in November bringing together locals from Bang Kachao and experts from various fields to discuss the challenges and solutions of local community members in Bang Kachao as a tangible example of community forest management.
Media were invited to join a pre-launch visit on October 9, 2015 where experts from the field of tourism, environmental conservation, product-design and many more traveled along the trail designed by locals and provided their insights in support of the project.
For more information: Caroline Liou, Communication Manager, RECOFTC, Email: caroline.liou@recoftc.org, Phone: +662-940-5700 x1236, www.recoftc.org
Notes to editors:
• While community forestry in the region enhances livelihoods and covers subsistence needs of forest-dependent households; reduces deforestation and improves forest conditions and quality; and strengthens governance and rural people's political rights, these benefits only occur on a small scale with significant potential for scaling up. This scaling up requires action by all stakeholders, but particularly governments. More communities must have tenure to their forests and regulations that govern communities’ interaction with their forests must be revised to ensure that communities are able to make a living from the forests sustainably. For more information, see recoftc.org.