Abstract:
Community-based management holds the potential to simultaneously deal with
the multiple objectives of community economic development and the conservation of
natural resources. Pred Nai Community Forestry Group based in the coastal mangrove
forests of Thailand was recognized by the UNDP in 2004 as an example of a successful
case of community-based management. The overall purpose of this research was to study
the Pred Nai group in order to learn about the institutional and organizational
characteristics, and the cross-scale linkages that facilitate community-based management.
This qualitative research was carried out during four months of fieldwork in rural
Thailand using interviews and participant observation.
Pred Nai Community Forestry Group has been working toward the sustainable
use and restoration of the local mangrove forest. The principal means they have
employed includes the restoration of formerly logged and degraded areas and the
development of a forest management plan. In addition to stopping the loss of existing
biodiversity, their efforts have also resulted in the return of many formerly displaced
native fauna, including species of wetland birds and monkeys.
Pred Nai’s conservation efforts have also had a direct impact on alleviating
poverty and facilitating local economic development. This has come about through the
improvement of yields in the local crab harvest, the utilization of non-timber forest
products from the mangroves, and the establishment of a village savings fund to assist
with social and economic development initiatives. The restoration and conservation of
mangrove forests has improved the long-term sustainability of the villagers’ economic
activities...
