Phurakam

Sustainable lives threatened by
reservoirs

After being evacuated from the Moo 6 village on the Thai-Myanmar border in Maenam Pachee Wildlife Sanctuary, Tanao Si sub-district, Suan Phueng district, Ratchaburi province 40 years ago, the locals have shifted from the rotational farming to agricultural techniques that comply with Thai forest laws. Despite the shift in cropping patterns, farmers adapted by producing vegetables and fruits and sending the crops to markets, creating a circular economy in the village.

They produce a wide range of trees, including bamboo, pine, and eucalyptus for diverse purposes, as well as fruits such as durian, rambutan, mango, and avocado. Inhabitants have also cultivated food plants such as phak wan pa (Melientha suavis) and pak kood (Diplazium esculentum) that are found in the forestland.

The locals make a living by selling their homegrown crops, which help to enhance the family economy. They send their children to school so that they would utilize their knowledge to help the communities grow in the future. Most significantly, they conserve a significant quantity of natural resources and eliminate slash-and-burn farming. The people band together to defend and conserve the natural resources of the forests and watersheds that sustain their lives.

However, their fade hung in the balance again when the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) announced the new building of the Nong Ta Tung reservoir, which encompasses over 2,000 rai of forest reserve in Phu Rakam village. The construction caused the locals to flee their homes once more, and they lost access to the watershed forests, which are home to a variety of animal species and plants.

Today, people in Phu Rakam village have changed their lifestyles to comply with government regulations in order to protect the forests, making the village Thailand's first role model for coexistence of people, forests, and wildlife animals, thanks to an initiative spearheaded by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. Even if there is a room for improvement in terms of policy and the villagers’ needs, the village is making good progress.

“Here, a lucky draw is used to distribute the land. Villagers who are given good land plots can produce crops, while those who find themselves on a hill with a lot of stone must consider their moves carefully,” Pele Guaphoo talked about the land distribution in Phu Rakam village.

Phachi River and Phu Rakam brook are considered abundant sources of water for several aquatic species. They also serve as food source for local residents who still practice traditional fishing, not electric shock, or so-called pulse fishing.

Several aquatic species rely on the Phachi River and the Phu Rakam brook that also provide sustenance for the villagers who still fish the old-fashioned way, rather than using electric shock. Traditional fishing practices allow fish to reproduce, ensure food security, and are environmentally friendly.

“We only catch enough fish to feed us. Outsiders, on the other hand, try to catch fish in our community areas.”

For villagers, transitioning from rotational farming to a system of farming in which crops are sold to marketplaces has been a huge challenge. The villagers, on the other hand, fought back and are now able to support themselves. Suan Phung, a renowned tourist site, serves as a market for the farmers' produce.

Growing vegetables and other plants for eating and other purposes on their own property saves a lot of natural resources. People avoid using pesticides because they are concerned about water contamination and that it may raise their production costs or destroy some plants, such as Durain. As a result, the residents of Phu Rakam and downstream consumers enjoy good health.

Meanwhile, women in Phu Rakam village have an important role in sustaining the agricultural system, including productivity management and market sales. Some of them work full-time and part-time in the agricultural business.

“In some months, the money I received from selling pak kood exceeded my main income,” said one of the villagers, adding that she grows pak kood on a tiny plot of land on the Phachi River's bank. Wholesale prices of pak kood start at 40–50 baht per kg, yielding roughly 8,000 baht per month. The vegetables are later sold at resorts and restaurants in Ratchaburi's Suan Phung district.

Durian is another popular tree species, and evidence suggests that it has been planted on the riverbank for more than 30 years, when seeds were taken from Baan Jai Phaen Din. However, not long ago, the residents of Phu Rakam were serious about farming durian due to its high market value. Durian comes with direct and indirect benefits. For example, in durian plantations, farmers don't plow as often as they used to, which allows them to avoid pesticides and burning of crop residue, resulting in an increase in annual income of 50,000 – 60,000 baht. In the future, their revenue from durian plantations is expected to rise in the future. However, durian and other plants may be flooded if the reservoir is built.

“A Royal Irrigation Department official said that each of my durian trees is only worth 500 baht,” Mr. Meechai Guaphoo recalled his encounter with an official who came to examine the land. His durian tree was 9 years old at the time. Its flowers blossomed and matured into mature fruits. According to Mr. Meechai, the durian tree may have been worth ten thousand baht, but the reservoir constructor only valued it at 500 baht. Value of time and labor, as well as human dignity, were sadly overlooked.

In addition to vegetables and fruits, Phu Rakam villagers also plant the trees on the allocated land. The villagers used to make a living by producing various sorts of woods that were accessible in the forest lands, but the woods were not durable. Agricultural activities are currently the source of income for the locals. They use concrete columns and metal sheet roofing items from outside the communities to construct their homes, while pine and eucalyptus woods are utilized on their farmlands. These fast-growing trees, which are just 4 – 5 years old, can be used to construct houses. They can also be purchased to aid in the reduction of deforestation and the protection of people's livelihoods. Thyrsostachys siamensis, an evergreen bamboo, is the primary wood that Phu Rakam locals have on their farmlands. It grows quickly and is used in vegetable fields as well as providing food. Locals no longer walk into forests to collect bamboo shoots since they can cultivate the vegetable on their own farms.

With the help of the Small Grants Programme (SGP), a corporate program of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), people are encouraged to plant additional high-value trees on their farms. Although forestry officials permit the planting of high-value trees such as teak and Siamese rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis), also known as payung, the villagers prefer to cultivate them on their farm boundaries because they are concerned about legal uncertainties. The locals, for example, are concerned that the high-value trees won’t be chopped down and will be confiscated by authorities as the seizure already happened in the past.

When it comes to environmental conservation of forests and watercourses, Phu Rakam villagers and forestry officials collaborate closely to survey the boundaries, collect filed data, and control wildfires. Many descendants of the Phu Rakam village have gone on to become forestry officials, enabling seamless cooperation among two sides, which is based on the shared belief that “humans and forests” can co-exist harmoniously.

One of the villagers said several animal species live in the areas around the Phu Rakam village. “This is the footprints of serow. It came here to drink water.” Forestry officials and locals pointed to the trace of ungulates on steep slopes, suggesting that they animals came down to drink from puddle during the dry season.

Budget from the GEF-SGP was partly used to purchase camera traps to collect field data on wildlife species and ensure that human activities do not damage their habitats.

“They arrived at the site and stated that there were no wildlife animals since they had been eaten by locals, so we set up camera traps to prove that the animals were still safe and sound,” said Mr. Pele.

Villagers and forestry officials have been rehabilitating food supplies for wild animals by creating salt licks where the animals consume essential mineral nutrients, leading to decreased animal invasion into farmlands and human-wildlife conflict.

Communities and forestry officials also built fire barriers that stretched over kilometers. The blazes mostly happened outside of settlements or in Myanmar's border regions. There were just a few wildfires in the village, which were well-managed by locals.

“They arrived at the site and stated that there were no wildlife animals since they had been eaten by locals, so we set up camera traps to prove that the animals were still safe and sound,”

Photos from camera traps showed serows, protected animals, visited an artificial salt lick constructed by villagers outside of settlements. Other wild species were also recorded by the camera traps.

In terms of wildfire management, leaf blowers were given to local communities to identify the fire barriers that reach over kilometers and were formed by volunteer groups. The blazes mostly happened outside of settlements or in Myanmar's border regions. There were just a few wildfires in the village, which were well-managed by locals.

Building a space where humans and wild animals can coexist in a sustainable way is no easy task, and various development initiatives in the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex might jeopardize attempts to enhance people's livelihoods and ecosystems at the landscape level.

Following their forced evacuation from their prior settlement, the Phu Rakam people adapted their lifestyles to forest conservation goals in terms of economic sustainability, food security, decreased natural resources, and lowered pressure on ecosystem services.  A shift in their lifestyle also benefits the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex in Western Thailand, which is presently threatened by the development of the Nhong Ta Tung reservoir. The reservoir construction will have substantial consequences, including the loss of thousands of rai of protected forestland and abundant farmland. The residents of Phu Rakam may have to flee again, and it may take them a long time to adjust their lifestyles, or that day may never come for this generation.

"If the state uses unjust laws against us, we would return to our ancestors' Baan Jai Phaen Din, rather than being forced to live on allocated lands that aren't as abundant as Phu Rakam," Mr. Pele insisted.

Phurakam

Sustainable lives threatened by reservoirs

“They arrived at the site and stated that there were no wildlife animals since they had been eaten by locals, so we set up camera traps to prove that the animals were still safe and sound,”

Sustainable lives threatened by
reservoirs

“They arrived at the site and stated that there were no wildlife animals since they had been eaten by locals, so we set up camera traps to prove that the animals were still safe and sound,”