Community forest isn’t just an ideal – Baan Lau Nuae proved it

It’s been a long fight of 30 years in which the former headman of Baan Lau Nuae – village, Boonyong Jitmanee encouraged people in his village and neighborhood villages to stand up against wood smugglers and could win back 1.076 acres of abundant forest. Boonyong affirmed the results worth risking their lives for – as now the drought has disappeared, allowing them to gift their descendants an invaluable resources from the forest. Chart Suriya who fought with Boonyong from the beginning said everything could be done because they have been receiving much support and corporate from the community. Baan Lau Nuae Community Forests have been protecting as many as 1,076 acres or 4.352 million m² of forest and have received many national awards including Green Globe Awards. For more than 10 years, they’ve become a model for many villages to start protecting their forests.