HUMAN, ELEPHANTS, AND FOREST: THE COMMUNITY’S NEED IN COPING WITH THE CONFLICT OF CONSERVATION FOREST AREA: A CASE STUDY OF BAN KHAM PIA, BUNG KLA DISTRICT, BUENG KAN PROVINCE

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the problems and community needs of villagers in Ban Kham Pia Village at Bung Kla district, Bueng Kan Province. The qualitative research was used as a research methodology. The population consisted of the head of Ban Kham Pia Village, Ban Kham Pia villagers, unofficial leaders, folk wisdom philosophers, occupational groups in the community, volunteer staff from public health, staff of sub-district health promotion hospital, staff of local administrative organization, and teachers of Ban Kham Pia School. Simple random sampling was employed in the study and the sample group was selected by using purposive sampling. The data were collected by using an interview form adopted from Chuengsatiansup, K. et.al. (2012) which included 7 community tools that were used for analyzing descriptive data.  After gathering, all data were categorized and synthesized by using a content analysis methodology. From the focus group interview and participant observation record, the results revealed as follows: (1) A problem that the community wanted to solve the most was the problem of wild elephants that always invaded agricultural areas. The elephants mostly came at night and destroyed villagers’ rice fields and rubber plantations and sometimes also destroyed people's assets and lives. The cause that was the main factors consisted of the growing number of wild elephants, the invasion of elephants in agricultural areas, the living place and food sources of the elephants were destroyed, and the water resources were insufficient for the need of the elephants. From these problems, there were still no guidelines and models for sustainable solutions. (2) For the needs of Kham Pai Village Community, the villagers preferred having government organizations and other related organizations to help solve the elephants’ problems, area-based management in serious and sustainable problem-solving by having a platform to share opinions, assessing situations, lesson learning from the experience of the community, and magnifying the outcome to government sectors, researchers, and network association before taking the entire data to synthesize as suggestions in the next step to reduce the conflict between human and the elephants based on community participation.