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Survey results from the first 6-7 months of community economic enterprises: Supplementary income has started coming in, but it is still supplementary, not the main income
A survey in May B.E. 2569 of economic enterprises in 3 provinces found that income from new activities still made up a much smaller share than income from fishing, but helped increase savings and bring some younger people back to their communities.
Muaklek Nai: From firebreaks to a green economy, and the Muaklek Nai Nature Camp, 2-4 May
Ban Muaklek Nai and Khlong Rabad community forests in Saraburi Province are building on their firebreak work by developing ecotourism and a system for sharing income with the community’s own forest management fund. They are also holding the Muaklek Nai Nature Camp on 2-4 May B.E. 2569, opening the forest to families and children aged 7-12 to learn about nature.
Lessons from the B.E. 2569 fire season: Success is measured by community capacity, not just the number of fires put out
Lessons from the work of forest guardians across various areas of the Forest Guardians Project in B.E. 2569 point to four factors that determine success: mobilising community efforts instead of waiting for government funding, technology that reduces the risk of loss of life, donations that bridge immediate gaps, and an economy that rewards forest stewardship.
Individual database system in Child Impact completed as planned, supporting Bureau 4’s annual planning
Child Impact developed a database of individuals participating in Bureau 4 partner projects, with more than 3,000 records. The work included cleaning the data, displaying it on a map, and creating and editing records. It was completed on schedule for use in Bureau 4’s annual work planning, and a fundraising approach through the Taejai website was also proposed to support the project’s sustainability.
Child Impact discusses adding “families” as a target group and setting up a Subdistrict-level mapping system with Khropkhrua Yim and Bureau 4
The Child Impact team met with Bureau 4 and the Khropkhrua Yim Project to plan how to bring child assessment data from the project’s expansion to 200 Subdistricts into the system, while adjusting the calculation formula to match the bureau’s evaluation team.
Ban Pak Kong Tawan Ok, Lampang: Hotspots fall to just 9 after joining the PES mechanism
Satellite data confirms that the community forest in Ban Pak Kong Tawan Ok, Lampang Province, saw a significant reduction in hotspots, to just 9, after the community joined the PES mechanism in B.E. 2569.
Doi Chang Pa Pae and Mae Pok: Firebreaks built on a village-wide pledge, backed by sensors, cameras and water management systems
The community of Ban Doi Chang Pa Pae in Lamphun Province mobilised every household to build a firebreak more than 30 kilometres long around the forest. They also installed heat and smoke sensors connected to a sprinkler system that volunteers can activate by smartphone from their accommodation, as well as IP cameras used with wind-direction data to forecast a fire’s path 1 hour ahead. Meanwhile, Ban Mae Pok in the same province invested in repairing its upstream water system to support firefighting.
Designing provincial-level forest finance tools: PES, carbon credits and Sustainability-Linked Bonds with Chiang Mai University and the Provincial Administrative Organisation
The Project held a workshop with Chiang Mai University, the Provincial Administrative Organisation, the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC), and the Royal Forest Department and Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to design financial tools for community forest stewardship. These cover the PES mechanism, provincial-level carbon credits and local-level Sustainability-Linked Bonds.
Ban Doi Pui: Thermal drones locate fire fronts beneath smoke, reducing risks to volunteers
The Ban Doi Pui forest-firefighting community in the Doi Suthep-Pui area of Chiang Mai Province used a thermal drone, supported by Wat Pha Lat, to survey the area on 25 March B.E. 2569 and locate fire fronts hidden beneath shrubs and smoke. This helped them plan firefighting efforts more accurately and safely.
Nan Forum: Bringing partners together to develop financial mechanisms for payments for ecosystem services in Nan Province
The project, together with Hug Muang Nan Foundation, RECOFTC and local partners, held the Nan Forum to develop financial tools to support community forest management in Nan Province.
Early childhood partners join forces to use followkids to connect child data to Child Impact
Bureau 4 and early childhood partners (S.K.S., ESTA, SOPA and Suan [Toemtem]) met to plan a mechanism for connecting early childhood development data to Child Impact. They agreed to use followkids as the main tool for collecting DSPM data. Data on more than 9,268 children from followkids is now visible on the dashboard.
Huai Pla Lod: Wet firebreaks integrated with farmland, with donated equipment reducing the time needed to create firebreaks
The community of Ban Huai Pla Lod in Tak Province uses a sprinkler system alongside farmland to create 10-20 kilometres of “wet firebreaks” that stop fireballs blown in from the surrounding forest. Meanwhile, a leaf blower funded by civil society donations has cut the time needed to create firebreaks from 1 day to just a few hours.
Trialling forest sound monitoring: piloting bioacoustic technology to measure biodiversity at Ban Mae Sa
The research team tested AudioMoth natural sound recorders in the Ban Mae Sa community, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai, and analysed the sound data to identify bird species diversity using BirdNET Analyzer. The work is a prototype for biodiversity reports for project supporters.
On-site in-depth consultations for each team across 10 provinces nationwide
Volunteer engineers from CH. Karnchang, product designers, and marketing and finance consultants conducted on-site assessments and provided recommendations from 24 February - 30 March B.E. 2569
Civil society fundraising fills the wildfire budget gap, Jan–Apr B.E. 2569
Government funding for wildfire suppression is often not actually disbursed until May, while the most critical period is January to April. Donations from the Forest Guardian fundraising campaign have therefore been turned into two-way radios and food and welfare support, helping community fire volunteers keep fighting fires for longer.
Joining the Invest for Nature forum: 20 organisations mobilise collaboration to expand investment in nature
The project team took part in the Invest for Nature Outing and Workshop in Chai Nat Province with 34 representatives from 20 organisations, developing strategies to expand collaboration on investment in nature through the PES approach
Progress on the diabetes care platform, periods 2–3: adding personalised health plans, Local Admin tools and 2 public Micro-apps
A summary of progress on the Health Promotion Platform for People Living with Diabetes in periods 2–3, covering improvements to the service user section and the Local Admin section, as well as the development of Micro-apps for public services.
Incubating grassroots innovation through a 2-day online programme
An online training programme via ZOOM, totalling 11 hours, covering design thinking, product design, online marketing, finance and accounting, and partner networks.
14 years, 123 Champions, 1.4 million lives: BC4C’s impact at a glance
An overview of the programme’s cumulative impact across 14 cohorts, from B.E. 2554 to B.E. 2568, covering both incubation and acceleration programmes
Inviting the private sector to co-design a sustainable PES mechanism: a workshop with Raya Heritage, Kao Mai Lanna and Hillkoff
The Project held a workshop to hear from businesses affected by PM2.5 pollution and gather ideas on forms of collaboration that could make the PES mechanism sustainable in the long term.