"I Shall Plant Forests on Doi Tung"
Guided by her keen interest in nature and her concern for the environment, HRH the Princess Mother embarked on a mission to personally champion reforestation efforts in order to restore the lush watershed forests and to revive the depleted natural environment.
Her Private Secretary initiated a search for an appropriate project site. Subsequently, Doi Tung, a site in the hills of the Mae Chan district of Chiang Rai (recently renamed the Mae Fah Luang district in honour of HRH The Princess Mother), was selected as the site for the project.
The Doi Tung range is part of the Nang Non mountain range that runs along the Thai-Burmese border. It lies approximately five kilometres from the border.
During a visit to inspect the selected site on January 15, 1987, Her Royal Highness once again reaffirmed her vow to reforest Doi Tung. "I shall plant forests on Doi Tung", reiterated the Princess Mother. |
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Prior to the inauguration of the Doi Tung Development Project under Royal Initiative in 1988 by HRH Princess Srinagarindara, the Princess Mother, late mother of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the prevalent use of destructive farming methods by hill-tribe villagers such as the clearance of land for subsistence farming, shifting cultivation, particularly the "slash-and-burn" agricultural technique, the rampant felling of trees and the depletion of other natural resources at an alarming and unsustainable rate contributed to the widespread destruction of forestlands. Hill-slopes were stripped bare resulting in severe environmental degradation over vast areas of Doi Tung.
As agriculture alone could not provide ample or sustainable income to support the economic needs of the farming families and rural community of Doi Tung, in order to help the local population achieve a level of self-sufficiency, Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother recognised that an effective reforestation and development programme was needed to solve both the social and environmental problems of Doi Tung.
Through the Doi Tung Development Project, alternative occupations were promoted to create jobs and provide employment opportunities as well as vocational training courses to facilitate the transfer of technical know-how and other essential skills in a wide range of areas, including handicraft-training courses.
Since its implementation, the Doi Tung Developmental project has visibly raised the standard of living. The quality of life for the local population has improved significantly. It has also raised the level of social and environmental awareness within the local community. The residents of Doi Tung now have a much better understanding of the interdependent relationship they share with nature, with the surrounding forestlands supporting their livelihood and the need for them to protect and conserve the natural environment and forestlands upon which they depend for a sustainable future.
With the surrounding forestlands of Doi Tung being the source of much of the raw materials used in the home and cottage industries that now form the backbone of the Doi Tung economy, the nature and environmental conservation approach fostered by the Doi Tung Development Project has helped to facilitate the co-existence of people and nature and has provided a powerful incentive for the local community to conserve the natural environment.
THE DOI TUNG DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
UNDER ROYAL INITIATIVE
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