Finding Appropriate Practices in Participatory Community Forest Management of Sri Narong Sub-district, Chumphon Buri District, Surin Province

Abstract

This research aims at: 1) finding appropriate practices in participatory community forest management of Sri Narong Sub-district, Chumphon Buri District, Surin Province, and 2) promoting people in the community to be able to manage their forest utilization. It was found that the appropriate practices in participatory community forest management made through the use of group establishment and appointment of community forest management committees. The community forest management working group was formed by 30 people from 3 villages around the forest, namely community leaders and the people who use the forest. This group was the group who promoting and motivating the people in the community to manage the forest such as surveying resources in the forest, focusing on forest caring and utilizing. This resulted in the body of knowledge about community forest management. Moreover, there were agreements on the use of forests made by the people in the community through the setting up rules and regulations on the use of forests together and allowing people in the community to participate in the management by focusing on leaders, those who make use of the forest, and those who had invaded the forest before to become members or committees of the group for forest caring. There were forest caring activities such as fencing for preventing invaders, planting trees on special occasions, and conducting Buddhist tree ordination ceremony. Participatory community forest management was used in community forest utilization and conservation in the area. There were agreements to have rules for forest utilization and punishing forest invaders. There were also community forest protector volunteers. The factors supporting the finding of appropriate practices included 1) the factor in the management of Sub-district Administration Organization (TAO) by providing forest management knowledge and establishing working networks in the community, and 2) the factor in the promoting and focusing participatory processes of all sectors.