Water resources policy and administrative management

The project location is the watershed area of the Pranburi River, an ecological portion of the Prajuabkhirikhan Coast of the Gulf of Thailand. During the past 50 years this rich-in-natural resources area has been continuously encroached by the requirement for more cultivated land. As it has been the case for all over the country, cash crops of all kinds have been encouraged to meet the ever-increasing consumption as well as to boost the export value of the country. Since then the application of chemical substance in the form of fertilizer and pesticide has become a thing of necessity.Even though the consequence of these unscrupulous practices have been witnessed in the less flow in the river and chemical residue in the water and water species, the majority of community members are still indifferent and lacks collective conservation awareness. The network is a private volunteer organization of grass-root type. It works among youths and communities of the minority group Karang , a group transboudary between Thailand and Burma. The network aims to provide environment education and instill conservation awareness in the target groups. Project goals or objectives (including GEF problem-area addressed by projects): 1.To raise awareness of communities as to the prevailing degrading situation of environment in the locality 2.To coordinate with concerned agencies/organization so as to launch collective protection of the river Activities to be carried out under project: 1.Launching environmental education for the assessment of problems affecting the ecological system of the Pranburi River 2.Launching campaigns and disseminating data obtained from 1. to communities 3.Conducting reforestation and demarcating fire-breaks Project participants and/or beneficiaries: 1.Padengtai Karang Community 2.Pranburi Basin Concern Youth Group , the Grandparents Group of Petburi 3.Kaeng Krajan National Park and Pranburi Watershed Management Unit 4.Hui Sat Yai Wild Elephant Conservation Club of Prajuabkhirikhan Anticipated results of project: 1.At least 160 ha of forested watershed area is increased. 2.There emerges one youth network in the locality carrying on conservation activities 3.There emerges one CBO from the 8 target villages carrying on conservation activities

Thailand