Water resources policy and administrative management

Target Population/Location of project: 581 members of 130 families in Baan Huayluk , Tambol Muangyarm, Wiangkaen District, Chiangrai Province (along the Mekhong River). The project members earn their living fishing and growing oranges. These livelihood activities are currently being threatened by land degradation, river bank erosion, and dwindling fish populations. The project aims to use a community-based approach to restore livelihood security. Objectives: 1. Reduce transboundary pollutant flows into the Mekhong River 2. Demonstrate an approach to rehabilitate the ecosystems of the Mekhong River 3. Disseminate this`ecosystem rehabilitation` approach to wider audiences Planned activities: 1. Establish an organic substance-producing group, and launch a community-scale business 2. Apply the produce in 1 ha of cultivated land 3. Perform a survey of the area for demarcation of a conservation zone 4. Launch a nursery for trees of fish habitat quality; plant them in the conservation zone 5. Organize open forums for sharing lessons learned with project network and neighboring villages Anticipated outputs: 1. Annual production of 25 tons of organic fertilizer, thereby being reducing families` annual expenditures on chemical substances by about THB 10,600 2. Increase in biological diversity important to agriculture (increase of insects of IPM) 3. Establishment of 300-meter conservation zone (eventually extended to 700 meters) 4. Increase in local water species 5. Emergence of new groups adopting project approach 6. Planting of 900 trees (two kinds of native species)

Thailand