| Deforestation is a huge problem in most developing countries including Thailand. Thailand is now in the process of granting local control over forest resources to villagers by having them participate in and become more involved with forest management activities. Thai's new constitution, the 1997--2001 development plan and recently enacted community forestry laws, give support to local forest management.; My study explores current forest management practices in a northern Thai village and how local attitudes contribute to conserving and sustaining forest and tree resources. The study site, "Nong Lom", is well known in this region for doing a good job of managing its forest resources. Although, there is industrialization nearby, Nong Lom has been and still is very much dependent on forest resources.; Differences among villagers in terms of gender, generation, educational background, socio-economic situation (community participation and household wealth), and work dependency (farm, off-farm, forest) are taken into account.; Five values concerning forest resources management are identified and measured: state administration, local control, local knowledge, sustainability, and conservation.; One hundred and twenty-two households were surveyed by household questionnaire and 213 principal males and females were personally interviewed. Focus group discussions with various groups was used to get more in-depth information about forest management practices in the past and now.; Nong Lom villagers, as a whole (i.e. as a community) are generally very supportive of sustainable forest management practices and appreciate the local control that they now have. But there is some evidence that individuals and households that are more involved with and more dependent upon forest resources, that are more involved with and have a greater stake in the future of their local village, and that are more secure financially, are more likely to be supportive, through their behavior and attitudes.; The Nong Lom case suggests a number of policy changes that the Thai government could institute to help protect Thailand forest resources. |
