The Community Award for Forest Rehabilitation and Conservation
Background:
The Thai Fund Foundation is a non-governmental organisation, playing a coordinating role with individuals and organisations in all social sectors. With the resources at hand, TTF works with youth groups, community organisations and grassroots NGOs nationwide to carry out a variety of development works in accordance with the foundation’s objectives.
The “SCB Fair for Conservation” was first organised in 2003. It was one of the foundation’s activities supported by the Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited, a business organisation concerned with and willing to support forest rehabilitation and conservation activities.
The Thai Fund Foundation used the resources obtained from the exhibition to support the community organisations’ role in forest rehabilitation and conservation in a way relevant to the community’s way of life and beliefs. TTF was certain that forest communities or watershed people were not destroyers but protectors of forest and watershed so that we city people could also share mutual benefits from the forest and water.
The “Community Award for Forest Rehabilitation and Conservation” project has started its support of grassroots communities in a far-reaching and effective manner since 2004. It covered various aspects of forest rehabilitation and conservation works, such as reforestation and mangrove reforestation, forest fire prevention, clearing of firebreaks, forest ordination ceremony, community forest learning centre, designation of forest trails for conservation, and building of check dams. The project has supported and worked with all community members, particularly children and youth groups and community organisations to successfully save the forest.
Past activities of the project encouraged and promoted community participation in the forest rehabilitation and conservation so that the forest benefits were appreciated and sustainable forest conservation and awareness were promoted. TTF volunteers to bring together opportunities and environmental concerns from all sectors in society to support the work of each grassroots community in sustainably protecting and conserving Thailand’s forests.
