Thai project to improve catchment use
By Shelly Simonds The Integrated Assessment and Management Centre at CRES has embarked on an ambitious multi-disciplinary study of one of Thailand's most important catchment areas. The project, led by Professor Tony Jakeman, will create a decision-support system to help policy makers and local stakeholders improve management of the Ping Basin in Northern Thailand. "We hope the project will lead to an understanding of how the land can be better utilised, which areas are most suitable for different activities while minimising environmental impacts and also contributing to the social well being of the community," said Prof Jakeman. With funding from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the Royal Thai Project Foundation, the ANU team works closely with a team of experts in Thailand made up of academics and government officials. On an international scale the project is unique because it integrates the talents of a number of experts including anthropologists (to identify stakeholders and how their needs and culture affect land and water use) and economists (to provide insight into the costs and benefits of various land and water management options). The project's biophysical component provides data on the possible environmental outcomes of a variety of water and land use decisions. This integrated approach was important, said Dr Helen Ross, leader of the socio-cultural component, as most environmental management projects dealt with the way humans interact with the biophysical surroundings. The Ping catchment area has rich forest, agricultural and water resources and has undergone rapid development in the past two decades. These pressures have led to conflicts over land and water between different groups and a perception in Bangkok that agricultural expansion has exacerbated the capital's flooding problems. The project will explore the consequences of different patterns of water and land use in the Ping Basin. For instance, the team will explore the potential impacts on society and the environment of retaining native forest as opposed to using land for agriculture or forestry. An array of environmental variables needs to be explored, such as the impact of reductions in forest size, agricultural water and pesticide use, soil fertility as well as road building and erosion. The project aims to involve local community groups in monitoring factors like erosion and water quality. Eventually the team will develop a database of environmental information which can help stakeholders make decisions on land and water management. The decision-support component will develop software and other tools incorporating simulation models which will allow policy makers to perform simulations and visualise the biophysical, economic and social effects of land and water use decisions. As well as being of assistance in Thailand, the project is expected to provide benefits to Australia and other countries in the region. The knowledge, skills, software and communication strategies developed in Thailand can be shaped for application to river basins anywhere, as good decision-making requires a whole-catchment approach. "At the end of the project in 2000, of particular benefit will be what we have learnt in how to integrate the various biophysical and socio-economic disciplinary perspectives and tools for the purpose of distilling and displaying essential information to different catchment stakeholders," Prof Jakeman said.