Abstract:
The study consisted of the following objectives: 1) to investigate the roles of public in volunteering the forest resource conservation in Ban Rai Sila Thong Community; 2) to explore the public participation in forest resource conservation in Ban Rai Sila Thong Community; and 3) to present a model for the public participation in forest resource conservation in Ban Rai Sila Thong Community. The study applied a qualitative research method with the data being collected via in-depth interview with 15 key informants and focus group discussion with 11 persons who were scholars, community leaders, and volunteers in the community. The data were analyzed by content analysis and presented by descriptive method.
From the study, the following results are found:
1) People with a volunteer mindset have contributed to the conservation of the forest resources in the Ban Rai Sila Thong Community. They are the leader's representative in carrying out activities to conserve community forests, the lecturer in imparting knowledge, the representative in outlining regulations and rules for using forest areas as well as making plans for the conservation of forest resources, the representative in coordinating with government agencies and other funding sources, and the negotiator in preserving the advantages of forests and community.
2) The public participation in forest resource conservation in Ban Rai Sila Thong Community, Phichai Subdistrict, Mueang Lampang District, Lampang Province is found as follows: On forest fire prevention planning by raising awareness about the conservation of forest resources, and assisting one another in protecting and reforesting; On carrying out activities such as making fire barriers, constructing weir, tree ordination, and forest fire surveillance; On monitoring and evaluating by surveying the area in order to use the results to analyze problems and generate conclusions in collaboration with the government sectors and the people; On receiving benefits through various things from the forests that can be used in daily life or process the wood for construction as furniture.
3) A model for the public participation in forest resource conservation in Ban Rai Sila Thong Community applies the A-I-C technique as follows: A stands for Appreciation of natural resources and the use of local wisdom, social and cultural knowledge, and belief in rituals such as worshiping forest guardian spirits; 'I' stands for Influence, which allows the community to take ownership by maintaining the forests on their own and making the most of them while being supervised by government sectors to ensure that they meet the standards. This involves the application of the sufficiency economy philosophy for sustainability, which leads to the extension of the community forest network and the adoption of the Community Forest Act; C stands for Control by establishing the guidelines for the public to serve as a representative in collaborating with government agencies and other funding sources in order to jointly lead activities and formulate the regulations.