Protecting the forests

Tree ordination ceremonies need support so that there will still be forests left for the next generation of Thais to enjoy. Picture by KULCHAREE TANSUBHAPOL

The Huay Kaew villagers of Chiang Mai Province have fought tooth and nail to keep their community forests from falling into the hands of powerful land speculators.

In Nan Province, the Silalaeng villagers are risking their lives patrolling their community forests to keep armed illegal loggers at bay.

Some 400 community forests in the mountainous North, covering nearly two million rai, are increasingly under threat from illegal loggers, landless farmers, and land speculators.

Villagers want to save their ancestral woodlands from destruction. But they don't think they can do it alone.

Knowing that they are too weak to take on illegal loggers who are backed by big shots and big money, these conservation-minded villagers are appealing for support from the public for their forest preservation programmes.

Calling themselves the Northern Farmers' Network, the villagers, who comprise Thai lowlanders and several hilltribes such as Karen and Hmong, aim to ordain 50 million trees in their community forests.

The project aims to cover one million rai in 100 community forests spanning eight northern provinces, namely Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Lampang, Lamphun, Phrae, and Nan provinces.

The number 50 million was chosen to honour the Golden Jubilee celebrations of His Majesty the King, who is their inspiration for unity as well as for their conservation philosophy.

In his 1994 birthday speech, the King said he believes in the forest's natural powers of recovery.

"The forests flourish naturally in the wild and not a single tree is planted by man," His Majesty said.

"It is important to let the trees thrive naturally. Don't disturb them. It suffices to give the trees some protection. Just don't hurt them."

Phra Somkid Jaranadhammo, a Buddhist monk who is actively involved in forest preservation in Nan Province, said the Northern Farmers' Network hopes that the tree ordination ceremony will give the trees that protection.

Illegal loggers, being Buddhists, must think twice before axing a tree that is wrapped in the sacred saffron robe, he said.

Chatchawal Thongdeelert, a veteran development worker and member of the network, outlines how the public can help.

"You can take part in the tree ordination ceremonies in various forests in the North to get first-hand experience of the villagers' conservation work," he said.

"Your visit will be a morale boost for the villagers because it will show them they are not alone in their struggle to preserve the forest.

"Or you can sponsor the ordination yourself. Only one baht for each tree you want to ordain."

The network also accepts saffron robes for the ordination.

Ruangdej Jommuang, a coordinator of the 50-million tree ordination project in Nan Province, added that all individuals, government and private organisations are welcome to join in and help because without support, the villagers cannot protect the forests. "If people cannot come to the ceremonies themselves, they can help by donating new and old saffron robes, sacred thread, rice, canned food or Buddha statues to be used in the ceremonies."

Starting last March, the network aims to raise at least two million baht for forest preservation. So far, they have raised only 900,000 baht.

The villagers, however, are determined to achieve their goal of ordaining 50 million trees. The big day will come next month when they will ordain their 50-millionth tree in a two-day ceremony in Chiang Mai on February 8 and 9.

But, added Chatchawal, the project will continue because villagers in the North have still offered to organise more tree ordination ceremonies in their communities.

The ceremony, said Phra Somkid, is not only a ritual of wrapping a tree with a yellow robe. "It is a ritual to connect people's minds with Nature," he said.

The ceremony also symbolises the interdependent relationship between people, the forest and wildlife.

"We do not aim to greatly increase the number of trees in the forest within a short period. Rather, we want to see how villagers organise themselves to preserve the forest," said Phra Somkid.

"We want them to be more aware and take part in the project as an organisation at a community level."

Suwit Sae Vang, a Hmong villager of Baan Tham Wiang Kae in Nan Province, said he joined the ceremony because he learned the hard way how important the forest is to his village when they suffered drought as a result of over-cutting of forest trees.

"Now we know that we have to cooperate with the lowlanders for our common survival," he said.

Many city people, whose water comes straight from the tap, don't understand that their quality of life will also be affected by the outcome of the villagers' efforts to preserve their community forests.

As the country's extensive rainforests have dwindled in recent years, smaller community forests have become important rain catchment areas for the Chao Phraya River which supplies much of Bangkok's water.

As well as being a source of livelihood for local people, the forests provide a habitat for wildlife. With much of the rainforest already gone, community forests will serve as a living museum of the biological diversity of plants and animals, an important aspect of maintaining ecological balance.

The villagers say they will continue ordaining trees even when they reach their target of 50 million.

With 100 community forests already draped in the sacred yellow robes, there are still 300 more awaiting similar protection.

The King said, "Protect the trees", and the villagers of northern Thailand think the best thing they can do to honour his Golden Jubilee is to follow his wise words.

Those who want to donate to the 50 Million Tree Ordination Fund can contact the Northern Farmers' Network at 36/1 Tanin Rd, Tambon Chang Puek, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50300. Alternatively call Chatchawal Thongdeelert on (053) 212-417 and (053) 409-387; or contact Ruangdej Jommuang at the project's coordination centre at 85 Moo 13, Nai Wieng, Muang District, Nan Province, (054) 751-831.

Don't throw that paper away

If you care about the environment, but don't have much time to take part in conservation programmes, you are exactly the sort of person the Recycle Paper for Trees Programme is looking for.

As a member of the programme, all you are required to do is put your used paper into the box provided and wait for the programme's staff to collect it once a month.

The paper will be sold to factories for recycling and the money donated to reforestation programmes run by local communities throughout the country.

But why recycle paper, you might ask.

For many Bangkokians, a piece of used paper means litter to be discarded.

"If you knew how seriously the paper production process affects the environment, you would think twice before throwing another piece of paper into the garbage can," said programme director Khomsan Hutaphat.

Bangkok alone uses more than 1,000 tonnes of paper a day. This means about 17,000 big trees must be cut down everyday to produce the paper to meet the market demand.

"Over-logging of forests has brought about severe environmental degradation in many provinces, bringing suffering to a large number of villagers," added Khomsan.

In addition to increasing rural poverty, the serious problem of water pollution is caused by paper factories discharging waste and contaminated water into rivers.

Villagers living near paper factories have also reported suffering from respiratory illnesses caused by chemicals used in the paper production process.

"Beside polluting the environment, paper production requires a lot of resources such as big trees, water and electricity," Khomsan said.

Pulp and paper factories are among the industries which use the most water, he said.

Eucalyptus tree plantations which are owned by the paper factories and are their source of production material may also cause droughts in nearby areas due to their huge water requirements.

Although most eucalyptus plantations are located in degraded forest reserves, many conservationists believe forest land should be kept for natural rehabilitation instead of being used for business purposes.

"To minimise the damage to the environment, we must maximise our use of natural resources," Khomsan said.

Paper recycling is one way to reduce the current over-consumption of trees. It is estimated that it could reduce by more than half the number of trees used in the paper production process.

Set up two years ago by a group of environmentalists, the Recycle Paper for Trees Programme aims to raise public awareness about the over-consumption of paper.

To get more city people to participate, the programme has tried to make it easy for people to join in.

"City people like convenience. Asking them to go upcountry to join in a reforestation programme is a bit much for most people," said Khomsan.

The programme's quick-and-easy approach has proved to be the right formula to attract the involvement of busy urban folk. So far, more than 2,000 members have signed up, mostly private companies in Bangkok.

"We will send our staff to collect the paper at the office building every month. We also report back to our members about our progress and income earned over the past year," said Khomsan.

The programme now has 14 permanent staff and five pick-up trucks to collect the paper. With more than 500 tonnes of waste paper collected over the last year, they estimate that more than 8,000 trees have been spared the axe.

About 100,000 baht of the 500,000 baht earned from selling the paper last year has already been donated to reforestation programmes run by local communities in northern provinces including Nan, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

The rest of the money, which is the largest part of the income, has been used to cover operating and management costs.

Last year, due to a drastic drop in the price of paper on the world market, the programme barely earned enough money to cover its own expenses.

To balance the budget this year, the programme aims to recruit more members from government agencies. But the private sector remains the programme's main target.

Any organisation wanting to join the programme or wanting more information about waste paper management should call for information and advice, Khomsan said.

"You don't need to be a member to ask out advice. We serve all. For in the end, every one of us benefits from a better environment."

The Recycle Paper for Trees Programme can be contacted on 279-6727 or 279-0552.