The Buddharaksa Community Forest and the Community Forest Act B.E. 2562 (2019): A Case of Sections 31, 32, 99 and 100

This article presents a case study of the Buddharaksa Community Forest, established in 2024 (B.E. 2567), within the framework of the Community Forest Act B.E. 2562 (2019) the first Thai legislation to formally recognize community rights and roles in forest management. The article explains Sections 31 and 32, which set out the rights and procedures for establishing new community forests and compares them with Sections 99 and 100, the transitional provisions that recognize pre-2019 community forests but require their compliance with the new legal framework. The study demonstrates that the Buddharaksa Community Forest exemplifies a new-generation community forest operating directly under Sections 31–32, while also reflecting the broader network of older community forests governed by Sections 99–100. This dual perspective highlights the evolution of Thailand’s community forest law and underscores the importance of harmonizing community rights with legal mechanisms for sustainable forest governance.