In the Eyes of the State: Negotiating a ‘‘Rights-Based Approach’’ to Forest Conservation in Thailand | Land Portal

Resource information

Date of publication: 
December 2002
Resource Language: 
ISBN / Resource ID: 
MLRF:1895
Pages: 
1591-1605

Recent debates about governance, poverty and environmental sustainability have emphasized a ‘‘rights-based’’ approach, in which equitable development is strongly associated with individual and communal rights. This paper reviews this approach and explores its practical application to Thailand’s ‘‘Community Forestry Bill,’’ which seeks to establish communal rights of access and conservation in forest reserve areas. The paper examines conflicts concerning watershed forests and mangroves in Thailand, and argues that efforts to support rural livelihoods through community rights have been undermined by a state that has frequently supported commercial interests or opposed decentralization to minority groups. The paper documents how civil society organizations may negotiate rights within the wider public spheres in which rules, rights, and ‘‘community’’ are established, and defended.

Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s): 

Johnson, Craig
Forsyth, Timothy

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The purpose of the Mekong Land Research Forum online site is to provide structured access to published and unpublished research on land issues in the Mekong Region. It is based on the premise that debates and decisions around land governance can be enhanced by drawing on the considerable volume of research, documented experience and action-based reflection that is available.

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