Wildland/Island Ecosystems & Culture: The Thailand/Laos Project

Team members will take part in a rare, on-site examination of Thailand’s wild ecosystems and the environmental challenges they face. This winter, we will spend seven weeks investigating Thailand and Laos' tropical ecology. We will discover the wildlife of the monsoon forests and coral reefs, and the indigenous ways of the people who inhabit mountains and coastal areas. Working on-site, the Wildlands Studies team will examine key National Parks and consider some interesting ways that Thai society is confronting the environmental challenges of the 21st century. A core theme of our program is the diversity of life in tropical Asia and the richness of the ecological interactions that occur in the tropics.

A special feature of the Thailand Project is our fieldwork at Tarutao, Thailand’s oldest and most highly regarded marine National Park. Coral reef ecosystems of Tarutao are a special focus of the Thailand Project, where the crystal-clear waters of the Indo-Pacific provide a fine introduction to marine ecology. After sixteen field seasons at Tarutao, our team has developed an excellent working relationship with the national park officials and a strong understanding of a dynamic island ecosystem. By monitoring this area year after year, we have documented changes in the ecology caused by sea temperature, storms, and the 2004 tsunami wave. Our long-term perspective significantly enriches the time we spend at Tarutao.

The Wildlands Studies Thailand/Laos project works to balance indoor and outdoor learning experiences. Indoor means meeting and talking with experts who have dedicated their lives to understanding and conserving Thailand’s biological and cultural diversity. It can also mean spending time with people whose lifestyles and values are substantially different from those of Euro-America. Outdoor learning means spending the maximum time of field study possible in the mountains of northern Thailand and the ecosystems of Tarutao. Extended, firsthand field studies such as these provide ecological insights that cannot be obtained in any other way.

THE PROJECT

Orientation will take place in the north of Thailand, and includes instruction, discussions with regional experts on topics connected to the culture and ecology of Southeast Asia, basic Thai language instruction and an on-site examination of Doi Suthep, a national park with rich intact forests and innovative forest restoration projects. Please note that prior field research experience is not required. All necessary skills of data acquisition and analysis will be taught on-site in Thailand.

After orientation, the team will explore northern Thailand’s rugged limestone mountains, clear rivers, sink holes, and caverns. Trekking among the local villages, team members gain insight into two kinds of challenges; the direct kind that face local people everyday, and the more abstract concerns of conservationists, most of whom live outside the region. During a week of hiking in the remote district of Pangmapha, we will learn about the subsistence cultures of the tribal people who still occupy this region and their relationship to the greater Thai society.

For the second part of the project, we will travel to Eastern Thailand to investigate the Mekong River and some its important tributaries like the Pak Moon River. During this section of the project we will  visit Laos, a less-developed, but fascinating country that provides an excellent contrast to Thailand. As we will discover, dam construction has affected the lives of many people in this area, while river-based lifestyles still flourish in other places.

The last section of the project focuses on coastal and marine ecology. As in many countries, coastal conservation is a critical and controversial topic in Thailand, with vested interests vying for control of natural resources, on and offshore. Our fieldwork at Tarutao Marine National Park, a remarkable outdoor laboratory covered with tropical monsoon forests, coastal mangrove, and extensive coral reef, consists of monitoring the coral condition, an especially interesting study since the coral reef ecosystem is so prone to change. Currently, large areas of patch reef are actively regenerating. We hope to use GPS and digital photography to monitor rates of growth, and censusing techniques to investigate the abundance of indicator species like urchins and reef fish. While in Tarutao, you can choose to emphasize onshore field studies (coastal or forest habitat) or shallow-water marine research.

The Thailand/Laos project presents a singular opportunity to assess major issues affecting wildland conservation/cultural sustainability in Thailand today, and discover possible strategies to help meet Thailand’s environmental and cultural challenges. This is a special opportunity for on-site studies of wildland conservation efforts in Thailand’s majestic ecosystems.

Full information available on request.

PROJECT LEADERS

CHRIS CARPENTER, Conservation Biologist, Wildlands Studies, has conducted field studies and/or led natural history expeditions throughout Asia and North America since 1980, including directing W.S. programs in Nepal, Thailand, and China.

THANIT BOODPHETCHARAT, Research Specialist Payap University, Thailand, has co-led the W.S. Thailand Program since 1998.