By Adreana Santos
It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to step outside the usual classroom setting and learn directly from the forests and the communities who live alongside them.
As a PhD student in Natural Resources Management (NRM), working under the guidance of Dr. Lonn Pichdara and Dr. Takuji Tsusaka, I joined selected NRM students in a six-day field training on the use of the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) in protected areas, together with professors from Kyushu University, Japan, led by Professors Nobuya Mizoue and Tual Cin Khai, along with PhD student Ryoko Norishige. The project entitled “Comprehensive understanding of the tropical forest conservation effects of protected areas and OECM candidate sites based on large-scale complete data” covers protected areas in five countries, namely, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos)
Our team included fellow NRM researchers, including PhD student Anishur Rahman, as well as Master’s students, Kyaw Nyein, Thiri Htet, and Nungning Nuchjaree, whose current studies are closely connected to protected area management. Thai students from AIT and Kasetsart University, namely, Nurhasmah Mahatchakun, Patcharawee Jhitchamnong, and Tharadol Pumee, also joined us throughout the fieldwork and played an important role as translators, helping us communicate with the communities.
From August 20–26, we travelled to different protected areas across Thailand, including Huai Thap sala Huai Rabam Wildlife Sanctuary, and community forests at Ban Khao Matoom, Ban Khao Laem, Ban Sra Sawas and Ban Khlong Baeng. Through field activities and community interviews, our team had the chance to hear diverse experiences of forest protection and to learn how communities manage their forests, allowing forests and communities to thrive together in harmony.
It was a humbling opportunity to sit with community members, listen to their experiences, and better understand what forest conservation looks like from their perspective.
Key Insights
1. Forests as a Source of Life. The interviews reminded us that forests are not simply areas to be conserved but also serve as an important source of life and livelihood for communities. Community forests contribute to household livelihoods by providing daily necessities, subsistence, and additional income. Different forest products and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) were mentioned across the interviews, including bamboo, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, wild gnetum, wild yam, frogs, red ant eggs, and other forest products.
2. Importance of Value-Adding. One lesson that particularly stood out to me was the importance of adding value to forest products. A community member shared that after learning how to process NTFPs, particularly bamboo and mushrooms, they were able to generate higher income from the products they collected. This showed me how knowledge and processing skills can help communities gain greater economic value from the resources available to them. It also reminded us that conservation and livelihood improvement do not necessarily have to be competing goals.
3. Successful Forest Restoration Requires a Balance Between Environmental Protection and Social Justice. The field experiences showed us that restoring forests goes beyond planting trees. Activities associated with awareness raising and increased community participation also contributed to improvements in forest conditions. The experiences of the communities highlighted the importance of ensuring that people can continue to benefit from and exercise their rights to forest resources while protecting the environment. This reinforced the idea that successful conservation should consider both environmental protection and the well-being and rights of the people who depend on these resources.
4. Governance Matters. Good forest management requires good governance. Most of the communities mentioned their compliance with government rules and highlighted the importance of community participation in forest management. Internal rules were also established within communities, including restrictions on logging, firewood collection, hunting, bringing domestic animals into the forest, and the seasonal collection of forest products. These experiences showed us that governance operates not only through government regulations but also through rules developed and implemented within communities themselves.
5. All Kinds of Support Are Vital. Protecting and managing forests requires more than willingness and participation. Communities also need the proper tools and equipment to carry out their forest-management activities. They also require adequate technical information and support to strengthen their capacity to manage their forests effectively.
New Skills Unlocked
The week-long field training provided us, as NRM students, with valuable experience in collecting primary data from different communities. This experience highlighted the importance of careful note-taking, accurately recording community responses, and organizing information according to different aspects of community forest management.
This field training also gave each of us the opportunity to work as part of an interdisciplinary team. Working together in the field showed us the value of looking at environmental issues from different perspectives. Our team consisted of individuals with different areas of expertise, including GIS experts, social scientists, economists, biologists, agriculturists, development communicators, and environmental science practitioners. These diverse areas of expertise complemented one another in understanding the environmental and social issues. The role of translators was also very essential during the community interviews, helping us bridge the communication gap between the research team and community members.
Final Reflections
The stories we heard in the field demonstrated how forest conservation involves several interconnected aspects, including managing forest resources, establishing community rules, improving livelihoods, receiving external support, monitoring, and preserving local and indigenous practices.
In essence, the field experience was an eye-opener that allowed us to understand forest change and conservation through the eyes of the communities themselves. Their lived experiences and perspectives offered lessons that go beyond what can be learned from textbooks and academic publications. Their stories emphasized an important lesson: forest conservation is as much about people as it is about forests.
Overall, the field training strengthened my practical experience in various aspects of natural resource management. More importantly, the stories from the field gave me greater motivation and helped me recognize that there is still much more to be done.
The fieldwork was a powerful reminder that my work should not stop within the four walls of my room or office or in front of my laptop. In the end, the stories I heard in the field are not just stories to document; they are beautiful reminders of why our work in NRM matters.
