Analysis of Climate Impacts and Community Adaptation on Land use and Natural Resources Management in Mae Hong Sorn

Funding source: United Nations Development Programme
Principal investigator: Assistant Professor Dr. Anond Snidvongs
Researchers: Jariya Thitiwate, Tosapon Ketwut
Timeframe: October 2008-April 2009
Period: 6 months
Status: Completed

Mae Hong Son province is a major watershed area in Northern Thailand. The province is a key main watershed area in Thailand as well as one of the country’s poorest provinces. Over half of the province’s population are ethnic minorities who have limited access to government services, and the province is also experiencing a large influx of displaced persons and migrants from Myanmar and other areas, putting further stress on natural resources and government services. This project is designed to enhance livelihood opportunities and promote social cohesion, thereby creating an enabling environment for long-term development priorities.

Mae Hong Son frequently endures water related disasters such as flash floods, urban inundations, and slope failures that have caused severe impacts on people’s live property and the natural environment. The multi-million Bath worth of damages suffered each year has increased in severity over the years. Due to annual flash floods, agriculture and livestock is seriously affected, as well as the tourism industry, which is the mainstay of the local economy. This project aimed to address security of land-use by farmers on the supply side and prevent overuse of natural resources in agricultural production and forest encroachment, thereby reducing vulnerability to natural disasters on the demand side. In addition, to reduce vulnerability of the population to natural disasters, the project focused on raising awareness of the climate change impacts using mapping of projected climate risk and potential consequences which communities need to adapt, together with the Disaster Prevention and Management to mitigate causes of disasters with preventive measures.

Workshops on forest fire, soil erosion and flood in Mae hong son