Determinants of land use change in Prasae Watershed of Thailand: role of land tenure security | |
| Author | Nareeluck Wannasai |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.NR-10-06 |
| Subject(s) | Land use--Thailand--Prasae Watershed Land tenure--Thailand--Prasae Watershed |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resources Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. NR-10-06 |
| Abstract | Managing natural resources and controlling envir onmental impacts associated with land use change requires an understanding of underlying factors, such as land tenure which has been increasingly recognized as an important element of land use decision making. This study analyzed land use change in the Pra sae watershed area of Thailand and investigated determinants of land use change with an emphasis on land tenure in order to understand its role in land use decision making and natural resources degradation. Land use changes w ere analyzed for three time pe riods, 1982, 1993 and 2004 using remote sensing data and existing land use maps. The household survey of 240 sampled households in the study area provided primary socioeconomic information hypothesized to influence land use change in the area. The biophysi cal factors influencing land use change were investigated using a land evaluation technique. The biophysical and socioeconomic variables were analyzed using factor analysis and multiple regression to estimate the determinants of land use change. The land u se change regression model was validated using land use data and available predicted parameters from the national village level database (NRD2C) and irrigation department. The major type of land use change in the study area was forest conversion and agric ultural land use modification. Most of the change occurred between 1982 and 1993 and can be characterized as expansion of agriculture into forest and the development of a ‘tree crop zone’. Forest area continued to decline rather steadily but in pararelle w ith agricultural expansion even after the implementation of Forest Act in 1989, which banned forest logging. Land tenure, irrigation facilities, education level and farm income were the significant determinants of land use change. Of them, land tenure show ed highly significant influence on land use decision - making. Tenure insecurity was found to be associated with forest encroachment for cultivating perennial crops to claim basic use right and for land registration speculation. Perennial crops were popular among secure land tenure owners as they have economic advantages for production and long - term investment. Land security is essential for investment incentive, credit access and productivity. Higher land security also provides an incentive to farmers for th e adoption of land improvement. The determinants of land use decision - making are operative although at the micro - level they are generally influenced by the macro - level policies. The policy simulation mimics the influence of potential policy interventions that are expected to alter the determinants of land use change. The focus of simulation was on the acreage of four land use types: perennial crops, annual crops, forest and non - agricultural area in the next 11 and 22 years. Three policy scenarios with th e aim to improve the well - being of people and conserve natural resources were carried out. Those scenarios were (1) baseline scenario with low investments and weak forest conservation measures (2) m aximizing farm income through investments irrigation, educ ation and income generation combined with min imizing forest conversion and (3) o ptimizing farm income and minimizing forest conversion under limited budget circumstance. Analytical results suggested that simulated changes in land use are in the same direct ion, but different in intensity. The last scenario exhibited the best alternative in terms o f improving peoples’ well - being, food security and natural resources conservation. |
| Year | 2010 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. NR-10-06 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Natural Resources Management (NRM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shrestha, Rajendra Prasad; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Schmidt - Vogt, Dietrich ;Preeda Parkpian; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) Thailand ;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2010 |