Reforestation in Limestone Forest in Central Thailand: A Case of Baan Lam Nam Kaew Community Forestry in Lopburi Province

The conflict over the necessary use of limestone mountains for supporting economic growth activities has been protested from environmentalists owing to the rich biodiversity and habitats to endemic flora and fauna of the limestone mountains. The Baan Lam Nam Keaw village in Lopburi Province is an example of the newly setup but quite a while practically managed community forestry, and shares the common characteristics of the limestone forests in the Central Thailand areas. The success story proclaims the over two decades of individual-led reforestation and afforestation prior to the setup of community forestry on the Khao Sap Kaeng Kai limestone forest that resulted to the improving ecosystem services especially ground water wells, and rehabilitating local and endemic flora and fauna in the village areas. Local plants Kratin Yak tree Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) and Chan Pha ( Dracaena loureiri Gagnep) have been used for forest fire prevention and the forest cover increasing respectively. The key success was the efficient local spiritual leader, Phra Prinya Suprinyo, with his strong professional background, and good connection with the forestry office and local administrative office. Furthermore, the participation in the Royal Forest Department community forestry project in 2010 had brought the villagers into the new learning process of community involvement in the forest management, and consequently created the sense of village ownership. The Khao Sap Kaeng Kai forest management is symbolic for the villager’s cooperation, and now being used as a platform for further sustainable development in forestry community in the future. Keywords: Reforestation; Limestone ecosystem; Community forestry; Limestone forest