Our targeted capacity development efforts in Thailand are expanding the scope of community forestry to include biodiversity conservation and climate finance mechanisms.
Across Thailand, local communities hold deep knowledge of native plant and animal species. That knowledge is now being paired with scientific tools and training to strengthen community forestry and ensure access to climate- and conservation-related opportunities.
From July 2023 to October 2024, 51 community forest leaders and representatives from 27 community forests across 10 provinces received training in forest inventory methods, biodiversity monitoring and evidence-based forest management planning. These trainings were carried out through RECOFTC’s Citizens’ Forest Master (CF Master) capacity development initiative.
Communities are now better able to assess forest health, track ecological changes and make informed management decisions. Ultimately, these new skills will help expand the role of community forestry to include biodiversity conservation, carbon credit readiness and broader engagement with climate finance mechanisms.
In Tak Province, the Ban Mai Charoen Dham Community Forest Group have significantly improved their capacity for data collection and analysis. The group produced a detailed dataset of their forest for a potential carbon credit project. They conducted a rigorous site assessment covering 256,000 square kilometres of forest area in 2024, using both drones and on-ground verification.
Six other community forest groups – one in Nan, two in Tak and three Phitsanulok provinces – have applied field sampling techniques to collect biodiversity data, assess forest health and monitor ecological conditions. Consequently, two community forest groups – Taluk Khaem Community Forest in Tak province and Nalom Community Forest in Phitsanulok province – now have strong databases that meet the parameters of the PRASAAN platform, which connects eligible community forests with potential funders from the public and private sectors supporting voluntary greenhouse gas reduction efforts.
By complementing traditional ecological knowledge with scientific tools, the CF Master initiative has strengthened local communities’ ability to contribute to biodiversity conservation and benefit from emerging climate finance opportunities.
