Their efforts have paid off. The size of mangrove forests in Trat has grown by more than 500,000 rai (8,000 hectares) in 15 years.

Such impressive results are a tribute to the success of the “Strong Community Network for Sustainable Mangrove Forest” project.

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has run this project over a long time in collaboration with local people. Last year, the initiative won the Thailand Excellent Participatory Governance Award.

Locals in Ban Pred Nai in Trat feel proud about the award and even more about the contributions they have made to their home town.

“A degraded forest zone has turned green once more,” said Boonying Singhapun, deputy chief executive of Tambon Huang Nam Khao Administrative Organisation in Trat.

His organisation’s jurisdiction covers Ban Pred Nai, where many residents have relied on the forest to support their livelihoods. They have harvested molluscs, crabs and other mangrove animals.

Ban Pred Nai village head Manoch Phungrung recounted that the locals started banding together to demand that authorities engage the villagers in the management of local resources and the environment after noticing what they believed was a big mistake committed by state officials.

“A long time ago, we spotted officials replacing native plants with non-native ones,” the village head said. “That made us realise that we needed to act to protect our environment and also our way of life.” He said locals confronted state officials to make their point.

In the beginning, local officials of the DMCR did not really listen, out of a belief that they had already done their best. Their stance, as a result, led the locals to become hostile to most government projects.

Things began to improve after the DMCR appointed the new local chief for Trat province.

“The new chief is much better. Locals have since been given a say,” Manoch said. “Our representatives have a monthly meeting with the DMCR.”

The move has paved the way for the new model of participatory governance. Just as locals have helped keep away forest encroachers and illegal loggers, they can request some resources where necessary, for example to get some wood for building cash-strapped families’ houses.

As locals have become aware of the need to protect their home town and local environment, they have also managed to eradicate environmentally harmful shrimp farms from their towns.

Ban Pred Nai is not the only village embracing participatory governance. During the past decades, at least 13 others have also joined in.

The results are that their contributions have allowed the mangrove forest zone to jump by 48 per cent or by 500,000 rai during the past 15 years. Mangrove-animal population has also increased resulting in increasing economic value of the trees.

“The economic value of the mangrove forest has risen from Bt40,000 to Bt50,000 per rai,” a report said.

The local economy has improved as a result. Ban Pred Nai is no longer in debt, Boonying disclosed. Not only has it repaid all debts amounting to Bt20 million, it now has Bt30 million cash in hand.

Wilawan Tanoi, acting director of Public Sector Development Division 2, said the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission had promoted participatory governance.

“That’s why we have handed out the Thailand Excellent Participatory Governance Award,” she said. “Agencies in the public sector should work hand in hand with the people.”

She believes government agencies should empower people with subsidies, academic research, training and other resources and let them have a role to play. “The remarkable results in Trat are another proof of how much participatory governance can achieve,” Wilaiwan said.