Local Consciousness for Sustainable Community Teak Conservation of Sribauban Sub-district, Lamphun Province, Thailand

This research aims to study teak resource management through community participation under the relationship between local people and forest communities to enhance teak resource conservation awareness in the target area. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews, focus groups, observation, and training. The results reveal that the first community forest occurred, Ban Thung Yao, is a forest revered for its traditional and belief that where there is water emerging from the underground there will be a sacred thing to take care and strictly forbidden to cut trees in the area. This belief system led to an agreement to conserve the forest together, with Ban Thung Yao community forest has become a leaning site about community forests, preserving community forests in terms of cultural beliefs, community involvement, community rules and is managed by the community itself. However, the teak wood outside this community forest has significantly decreased due to the worried about breaking the law, and the villagers shifted to planting other crops in their area such as longan. To address these issues, the research proposed a framework for increasing the awareness and understanding for trek conservation among people in the community through training activities, with the goal of establishing a body of knowledge in preserving natural resources of teak forests. This involves developing a manual titled “Conservation of Teak Forest Resources” with the aims of enlightening the community about the long-term benefits of sustainable teak wood practices.