The nature trail in the community forest of Ban Hua Thung in Chiang Mai's Chiang Dao district was slippery and muddy. It rained a day before our visit. The clear Hu waterfall had turned red.
The plan to lead me and colleagues from the Asean region to go further inside the forest to see various herbs and local plants had to end half way, at the waterfall.
Though the waterfall is small, the current was strong and the water cold. Children who followed us from the community were not allowed to swim in the stream. They dipped their feet in the water while swaying on a tree branch.
The forest was green and it was hard to imagine that the community once had a deforestation problem.
Ban Hua Thung has 150 families. Most of them are rice farmers. In the past, a few villagers applied the slash-and-burn farming method to cut trees for their farms. The problem got worse before forest concessions were revoked by the government in 1989.
"When trees were cut, the amount of rain was less than normal. We didn't have enough water for consumption, let alone for farming. Our natural sources of water like the Hu waterfall dried up," recalled Siriwan Rudee, the village chief.
Thanks to the efforts of the former village headman and his wife, Rith and Lah Sribunyang, about 20 years ago a project was initiated to preserve the forest by designating an area as the community forest. The idea was opposed by some villagers, especially those who applied the old burning technique.
The solution of the former village head was quite clever.
"We asked those who did not agree with us to be part of community forest committee. After they were part of the team, their mindset gradually changed. They realised the benefits of having a forest. They stopped the slash-and-burn farming method and helped us protect the trees from encroachers," said Siriwan.
The Hu waterfall is the source of water for Ban Hua Thung. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
When the committee was set up in 1996, there were 42 members. Their initial duty was to guard 42 rai, one for each member. They also recruited about 100 volunteers to monitor any activities that might be harmful to their preserved forest.
They had only one simple rule -- no tree was allowed to be felled. After the first year of the project, their efforts were rewarded when the waterfall began flowing during the rainy season.
Today, the community forest stretches out to 4,458 rai, she said, adding that the forest was like the "community supermarket" where locals are allowed to forage for mushrooms and herbs.
"Since our forest is green, we see many types of wild animals like boars, hornbills and peafowls. Our water resources have also not dried up," Siriwan added.
In addition, they also allocated 42 rai next to the village for a bamboo plantation, which the villagers use to make baskets, or kui in the northern dialect.
"Some families make kui as a hobby. They earn an extra income from selling the baskets," said Siriwan.
The bamboo baskets are used by vegetable farmers for transporting vegetables from farms to markets.
Wannapa Suwanma has woven bamboo baskets for a decade. She produces 50 baskets a day, with each one priced at 6.50 baht.
"The daily earning is enough for my family. It is much better than leaving my community to look for work in the city," she added.
The simple way of living attracted villagers from nearby communities, who wanted to learn about managing a forest community. Later the community received support from local authorities and the Thailand Community-Based Tourism Network Coordination Center to launch an eco-tourism village.
In 2000, Ban Hua Thung launched a homestay service and has received visitors from many provinces in Thailand and also Europe. The village accepts only four groups of visitors a month and not more than 20 people per group.
"We have to limit the number of visitors because we don't want tourism to change our lifestyle and way of living. We are farmers and we don't want to change our lives to serve tourists," said village head Siriwan.
