Kwanchai Duangsathaporn, spokesperson of NRSA’s Public Health and Environment committee as well as a professor at Kasetsart University’s Forest Research Centre, said the group had visited the province late last week and found that up to 80 per cent of the farmers were planting crops in the watershed region. In some districts, farmers were found to be using forested area without any legal documents, which made the problem more complex.

The working group had been working on the problem for several months now before coming up with a solution for the government and concerned parties, Kwanchai said.

The model prioritises social, economic and environmental aspects of the problem rather than just enforcing existing forest related laws, he said.

Hence, said, all concerned parties would be dealt with fairly and in a sustainable manner with sustainable development and the environment given top priority, he said. Also, minimum requirements would be set as a benchmark for consideration, he added.

For instance, the model deals with those living in watershed areas without legal documentation by taking the health of the forest into account. If the area is found habitable, then the locals may be offered some sort of social contract that allows them to continue earning off the land. However, if the forest is found to be too fragile, then a more appropriate approach would be applied, Kwanchai said.

The working group hopes this model can offer an example for other areas to follow, he added.

This problem is massive in the North, given the mountainous landscape, which only allows some lowland areas to be a habitable. In addition, the forest encroachment problem has been further exacerbated by single harvests, which in most cases is maize.