Community Participation in the Integrated Buddhist Management of Mae Chaem River
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Abstract
This research aimed to examine the context and challenges related to Mae Chaem River Basin management, emphasizing community participation from a Buddhist perspective. The study employed a qualitative and participatory action research methodology, gathering data through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The findings reveal that the community significantly participates in water resource management, successfully integrating Buddhist principles and local wisdom for sustainable water management. This clearly reflects the context and challenges of water management in the area, aligning with the research objectives. A key innovation is the "Integrated Water Management based on Buddhist Principles," which applies four core Buddhist doctrines to directly address the contextual problems of the Mae Chaem River Basin: 1. Aparihaniyadhamma 7 (Conditions Leading to Prosperity) helps mitigate conflicts over water usage and promotes collective consultation, fostering shared decision-making and respect for rules. 2. Sārāṇīyadhamma 6 (Principles of Conviviality) creates an atmosphere of kindness and sharing, reducing issues of lack of generosity and competition for water resources. 3. Brahmavihāra 4 (Sublime States of Mind) alleviates misunderstandings among water users by cultivating loving-kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), empathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā), prompting community members to prioritize the common good. 4. Saṅgahavatthu 4 (Bases of Sympathy) strengthens relationships between leaders and villagers, as well as among villagers themselves, through giving (dāna), kindly speech (piyavācā), doing good (atthacariyā), and impartiality (samānattatā), addressing the problem of insufficient participation. These Buddhist principles are integrated into four main aspects of water management: joint planning (addressing the lack of long-term planning), joint implementation (resolving issues of labor shortage and accountability), joint benefit-sharing (tackling inequalities in water access), and joint monitoring and evaluation (addressing the absence of mechanisms for assessment and improvement). This application of Buddhist principles directly fosters a sense of consciousness and responsibility within the community for water resource conservation, making water management in the Mae Chaem River Basin truly efficient, sustainable, and precisely addressing the community's contextual challenges.
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