From Social Forestry to Communal Land Title: Evolution and Challenges of Community Rights in Forest and Land Management Concept

Abstract

The community rights in resource management concept has been advocated for more than three decades in Thailand, mainly through the struggles of forest-dwelling communities and those in land-related conflicts with the state. Although community rights have been enshrined in the constitution since 1997, there is limited progress in enforcing and entrenching the concept. This article traces the evolution of the idea of community rights from both an ideological and social movement strategic perspectives, from the concept of social forests and community forests to the concept of community rights and communal land title. The article reviews the challenges the concept of community rights faced over the past three decades. It argues that the advocacy of community rights concepts based on pre-existing cultural traditions in the management of resources of the community may not be able to respond to community dynamics and the diverse needs of different communities