Landscape agroforestry in upper tributary watersheds of Northern Thailand

Landscapes of upper tributary watersheds are being transformed, and social, economic and ecological ‘distance’ between lowland and upland areas is disappearing. As lowland concern about natural resource sustainability grows, perceived impacts of changing upland agriculture on biodiversity, climate change and downstream watershed services have become a focus of debate and conflict. Evolving agroforestry concepts provide a framework for understanding landscapes that include agriculture and forests, and for assessing impact on livelihoods and the environment.This paper summarizes recent assessments of impacts of various alternative land use practices currently found in the Mae Chaem watershed. Biophysical studies include impacts on plant biodiversity, carbon stocks, methane flux, stream flow and soil properties, while economic studies assess major crop production approaches and environmental concerns. These studies, conducted during 1997-2001 by researchers from ICRAF, the Royal Forest Department, Chiang Mai University and other partners working with ASB-Thailand, indicate that views of various land use practices as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ often break down on closer examination.Research findings are then synthesized to examine trade-offs associated with the various approaches to land use, and assess alternative scenarios of approaches to agroforestry landscape management. Again, answers are not simple, and overall outcomes will depend on balance and configuration within types of agroforestry landscapes.Given the increasing role of local governance institutions in managing both natural resources and growing conflict, the final section summarizes findings of some pilot studies exploring institutional dimensions of planning, managing and monitoring local landscapes that can help address central issues of growing land use conflict. Findings identify need for a monitoring and spatial information management system that can interface with and support localized natural resource and conflict management. ASB-Thailand is collaborating in development of a pilot system to provide prototype experience for policy formulation and larger development efforts.

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