Community Conservation through Tourism in Thailand

Community Conservation through Tourism in Thailand Dachanee Emphandhu 1/ and Philip Dearden 2/Communities play an important role in conservation in Thailand.   One means by which this is achieved is through tourism... [ view full abstract ]

Community Conservation through Tourism in Thailand

Dachanee Emphandhu ^1/ and Philip Dearden ^2/

Communities play an important role in conservation in Thailand.   One means by which this is achieved is through tourism development that provides the necessary income and incentive to protect rather than neglect or consume natural and cultural resources. Some initiatives have shown success but others have not.  This paper explores a number of case studies in Thailand including coastal communities such as Koh Pitak and Ban Thung Yeepeng  in Chumporn and Krabi provinces, and Ban Pha Mon and Ban Huay Mae Sai as hilltribe mountainous communities in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces to examine the factors influencing the success and failure of various initiatives.  Mixed quantitative and qualitative methods were employed with questionnaire surveys, and focus group interviews.  The results showed that the contribution to conservation that initiated from community based tourism were establishment of conservation funds, including conservation measures in tourism activities, site rehabilitation, and raising conservation awareness among local people and tourists.  Factors contributing to the success or failure of tourism as a means to resource conservation were leadership, community social capital, application of the late King’s “sufficient economy concept”, delegation of power (from the government) to use and control natural resources that are essential to  community livelihoods, and knowledge of  conservation practices.   These findings can be applied to further augment initiatives in Thailand to strengthen both conservation and community livelihoods and autonomy.

Keywords: Community, Conservation, Tourism, Thailand

^1/  Department of Conservation , Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Thailand. Email: dachanee@hotmail.co.th

^2/  Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Canada. Email:  profdearden@gmail.com