Participatory land-use planning for natural resource management in Northern Thailand

This paper described the successful Participatory Land-Use Planning project which defied a pattern of unpopular development projects and severe conflicts over natural resources in northern Thailand. Novel use was made of large-scale aerial photographs and three-dimensional models during village meetings to promote productive communication among participants. Participatory monitoring, for example of water quality, and frequent negotiation, allowed iterative developments to local planning and improved co-operation within communities. The author argues that the participatory land-use planning model used in this project could be applied far more broadly, and provided a practical guide to application of the approach.