By: Valeria Olvera, Content Producer Intern, University of Texas at Arlington 

In northern Thailand’s Ban Pong village, a group of women is rewriting the story of forest recovery and showing how local leadership can turn environmental harm into long-term resilience. For nearly 20 years, these women firefighters have restored their community forest, transforming land once vulnerable to burning into thriving, fire-managed woodlands. 

Faced with annual smoke, soil depletion, and worsening fires, the team, led by Rachaprapa Kamphud, took action. They planted native trees, built water catchment structures to keep the forest moist, and patrolled regularly to reduce burn risk. Their efforts help prevent dangerous haze that endangers health and livelihoods across the region. 

The community forest supports sustainable food sources like mushrooms and bamboo shoots, improves water retention year-round, and even supports a community fishery from a lake that once dried each season. Wildlife has returned, and the land now nourishes people instead of threatening them. 

Today, the area is included in the International Model Forest Network. This voluntary global community works toward the sustainable management of forest‐based landscapes and natural resources through the Model Forest approach.  

As wildfire and haze worsen across Southeast Asia, the Ban Pong forest stands as a reminder that long-term, community-led action can reduce risk, restore ecosystems, and protect lives, all while strengthening local livelihoods. 

Source Mongabay: Mongabay is an independent media organization reporting on Nature and planetary challenges with a global network of local journalists.