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THE BHUMIRAK DHAMACHART PROJECT
THE ROYAL NATURE CONSERVATION CENTER

Location: 98/1 Moo 2 Baan Tadan, Mueang District, Nakhon Nayok THAILAND 2600

History

On December 21, 1989 the Chaipattana Foundation bought a piece of land covering an area of about 5 rais, or 6 acres. Later the Vajiravudh College Alumni Association Under the Royal Patronage was given permission to use this piece of land as a center for displaying His Majesty the King’s Royal Development Projects to the public through activities. Then the Recreation Resource Management Center Project was planned in order to present His Majesty’s concrete ideas and theories for the development of agriculture, livestock, environment and energy as well as demonstrate of living the Thai lifestyle using appropriate technologies. Moreover, various kinds of activities related to His Majesty’s Projects are also prepared for visitors to participate in. On July 16, 2002 the Vajiravudh College Alumni Association was allowed by H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Executive Chairperson of the Chaipattana Foundation, to start the project as planned. On December 14, 2002 H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn named the centerThe Bhumirak Dhamachartand on June 3, 2008 the center was officially presented to the H.R.H. and the opening ceremony of the center was officially held on the same day.

Principles of His Majesty the King’s Development Works

Explosion from Within

Emphasizing human development, His Majesty frequently uses the phrase “explosion from within”, which means the community and village targeted for development must be strengthened and ready to get started before being exposed to the outside world. Progress or outsiders should not be brought into a community which is not prepared or ready.

Holistic Approach

The holistic or integrated approach is His Majesty's strategy for implementing the Royal Development Projects. This approach enables His Majesty to attentively consider the problems which may strike while seeking solutions

Public Hearing

As a democratic King, His Majesty has adopted the policy of “public hearing” to rule the country. This approach allows the people to openly express their opinions concerning the issues in which a decision need to be made. In other words, for making a final decision, the people's opinions or demands must be taken into consideration.

Our Loss is Our Gain

Our loss is our gain… To lose means to obtain. The nation will progress. The well-being of the people cannot only be estimated in monetary terms.

His Majesty's royal statement to the Thai people as quoted above implied the concept of “giving” and “sacrifice” which provide profits or gains which mean the well-being of the people can be concretely witnessed. The concept was also stressed in an excerpt from His Majesty's royal statement bestowed upon the representatives of the Thai people who were granted an audience on the auspicious occasion of His Majesty's Birthday Anniversary on December 4, 1991, at the Dusidalai Hall, Chitralada Villa, Dusit Palace, as follows

“…we are willing to put in money and efforts which may seem useless, but in the end we may be able to reap the fruits directly or indirectly. This is the very duty of the government. The government's money is also the people's money. If we want the people to be prosperous, we have to invest in development projects which will involve budgets of hundred or many thousand millions. This means a loss of money, a deficit, a debit using the government's money. However, if the project is a good one, the people will very soon get the benefit from it, the result of it. The people will enjoy a better standard of living. The people will get the profit. If the people have a good income, the government will be able to levy more taxes more easily and implement more projects for the development of the country. In that way, if everyone “knows how to treasure Unity” and knows that “Our Loss is Our Gain”, the country will progress, but the well-being and happiness of the people are a benefit that is difficult to be measured in terms of money…”

Self-sufficiency

The development of a country is not an easy task to accomplish. Instead, it requires mobilization of thoughts and effort of the people in the country to perform the development work together. With these ingenious approaches of His Majesty, the Royal Development Projects have been witnessed by all people to be “simple but effective” as quoted in an excerpt from His Majesty's statement:

“If a project is good, before long the villagers will profit, will gain benefits. They will have enough to eat well which will be a positive result.”

Self-supporting

Self-supporting means the people can live with independence, security and completeness.

Sufficiency Economy

The desire for and ambition to become an “Economic Tiger” or a “Newly Industrialized Country” (NIC) had put Thailand in an economic crisis which imposed numerous problems on the Thai people. Well aware of the situation and concerned with the people's plight, His Majesty the King graciously gave his moral support and advised on the philosophy of “Sufficiency Economy” as a guideline for the Thai people to make progress in life with security and clarity. The philosophy also proposes a direction for looking at problems with a view to reach the mutual goals of development in a secure, unbiased, and sustainable manner.

Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy

“Sufficiency Economy” is a philosophy that stresses the middle path as the overriding principle for appropriate conduct and way of life of the entire populace. It applies to conduct and way of life at individual, family, and community levels. At the national level, the philosophy is consistent with a balanced development strategy and excesses that may arise as a result of globalization. “Sufficiency” means moderation and due consideration in all modes of conduct, and incorporates the need for sufficient protection from internal and external shocks. To achieve this, the prudent application of knowledge is essential. In particular, great care is needed in the application of theories and technical know-how and in planning and implementation. At the same time, it is essential to strengthen the moral fiber of the nation so that everyone, particularly public officials, academics, business people, and financiers adhere first and foremost to the principles of honesty and integrity. A balanced approach combining patience, perseverance, diligence, wisdom, and prudence is indispensable to cope appropriately with critical challenges

(Source: Office of the Royal Development Projects Board)

Live Museum at the Bhumirak Dhamachart Project

The live museum is an area displaying His Majesty’s ideas and theories in the form of experimental fields. It is divided into four zones: Northern region, Central region, Northeastern region, and Southern region. Due to the variety of His Majesty’s ideas and theories, the division of the area into zones will help the visitors better understand them.

1 Northern Region

This zone displays His Majesty’s ideas and theories concerning natural resources conservation especially in the field of forest conservation. His Majesty introduces the following concepts:

- Cultivation of Three Types of Forests for Four Benefits

This concept involves integrating the need to conserve and to rehabilitate forest resources with socio-economic perspectives. To prevent forest destruction by farmers, His Majesty suggested that three types of forests be planted to bring about four benefits. One type provides fuel, another gives wood for household use and the other offers fruits for consumption. Apart from this, forests also enhance soil and water conservation and maintain humidity.

His Majesty insists that trees to be planted should be a mixture of trees that are fast growing and those that yield many kinds of benefits.

- Creation of Wet Fire Breaks

The wet fire break is a strategy involving the use of water resources to create long term forest fire preventative line. Examples of suggested methods are using the water channels and rows of plants grown along the channels, cultivating fast growing plants to cover the ground along the water channels to enable the moisture to permeate the soil and expand to both sides. This creates check dams to block the water channels at intervals to store some water. Bananas are a good example of plants used for the wet fire break strategy as they are fast growing plants that need no special care for planting. Moreover, they are multi-purpose plants with many uses.

- Check Dam Construction

The method recommended by His Majesty is to slow down the speed of the current by constructing dams to trap water flow and to hold water in the ground as long as possible, so that area can remain moist. One type of dam His Majesty has recommended is the “Check Dam” or detainment dam, which is a very efficient method to hold water on the ground. With this idea, the moisture in the soil has been enhanced to promote the growth of the trees.

- Promotion of Ethics and Conscientiousness

His Majesty emphasizes the promotion of Ethics and Conscientiousness to people. With regards to His Majesty’s advice, the forest rangers must “plant trees in people’s minds first. Then they plant trees on the land “.

- Cultivation of Vetiver Grass

Vetiver grass is a tropical plant which grows naturally. In Thailand, vetiver grass can be found growing in a wide range of areas from highlands to lowlands and in various soil conditions. Since vetiver grass has a deep thick root system which spreads vertically rather than horizontally, it can endure harsh conditions. The roots densely bind together like an underground curtain or wall enabling it to store water and moisture. His Majesty suggests planting more vetiver grass to hold the soil or to prevent soil erosion and to increase soil moisture.

2 Central Region

This zone displays His Majesty’s idea is called “the new theory.”

As a shortage of water supply for agricultural activities has been a major problem facing Thai farmers from past to present, His Majesty formulated a new theory to serve as a system of land and water management for farmers who own an average of 10-15 rais of land (this is the average land possession per Thai farmer). Bearing in mind the importance of water resources, His Majesty suggested that each plot of land be divided into different portions. The first 30% would be a pond to store seasonal rain water. The second 30% would be for rice growing to meet the family’s consumption needs. The third 30% would be to grow other crops for consumption and as a source of income. The last 10% would be for home building. With this kind of land management, the farmers would be totally self-sufficient.

3 Northeastern Region

This zone explains His Majesty’s viewpoint on the “rice bank” which is a project set up for occupational promotion for Thai farmers especially in the Northeast.

- Rice Bank

The Northeast of Thailand is a drought-ridden land. It is a plateau with only a few rivers, and sandy soil is prevalent throughout the region. The cultivation yield is very low and the land easily becomes barren. During a period of drought, many locals, after harvesting their own crops, do not have enough rice to eat. The households often solve this problem by borrowing rice or money from other merchants or tradesmen and paying a high interest rate. In the end, the locals incur debt and then become bankrupt. His Majesty’s idea of “rice bank” is to help farmers who have problems. They can borrow rice from the bank and when they are able to collect enough rice, they then must return the rice to the rice bank as well as pay a small amount of interest as agreed. The rice that is the interest will be kept in the rice bank and will serve as food for everyone in the village.

4 Southern Region

This zone exhibits His Majesty’s other important ideas about water, soil, and energy.

- Flood Management (Kaem Ling Project)

One of His Majesty's most innovative flood prevention projects is called Kaem Ling which means Monkey Cheek Project. In 1995, he explained that his inspiration for the project originated from his childhood memory of monkeys: "I remember that when I was five years old, we had monkeys and we gave them bananas. They would munch.(on the bananas) and then keep the food in their cheeks." His Majesty has modeled the technique for water retention on the way monkeys eat. The Project was first undertaken for solving flooding problems in Bangkok and metropolitan areas by excavating the canals along the coastal areas both in the west and the east of the Chao Phraya River to serve as big storage reservoirs or Kaem Ling and draining floodwaters away by natural means such as gravity flow or tidal flow. At present, the Kaem Ling Project has extended to cover other areas namely the Nong Yai Area Development Project (Nong Yai-Natural Kaem Ling), Chumphon Province and the Project to relieve flood problems in the Khlong U Ta Phao Basin, Hat Yai, Songkhla Province.

- Soil Aggravation (Klaeng Din)

Poor soil quality is another problem that hinders agricultural development in parts of Thailand. Soils that are sandy, thin-topped, organic, acidic and saline cover 16% of all Thailand, and are not suitable for farming. As soil is of great importance to His Majesty, he continues to offer several theories regarding soil conservation and improvement for agricultural benefit. An example can be witnessed at Pakpanang River Basin in the South of Thailand where, due to high levels of sulfuric acid, the soil is extremely acidic and inappropriate for cultivation. Using His Majesty’s initiated process of soil aggravation which he called Klaeng Din, which literally means “playing a trick on soil” this problem can be solved. By alternately making the soil wet and dry, the soil becomes so acidic that plants can no longer grow there. Then ways of eliminating soil acidity are applied; for example, washing the soil with water, using lime dust, controlling the underground water level etc.

- Polluted Water Development Project (Bandit fighting Bandit)

His Majesty is continuously concerned about the problem of environmental deterioration in Bangkok, especially polluted water which emits an unpleasant smell and damages the people's health and the environment. He has frequently inspected the polluted conditions of the water in canals and ditches and pronounced His initiatives for treatment. These include: improvements to the existing waterways such as swamps and ponds, dredging as deemed appropriate and, improving the condition of polluted water by using water hyacinth as a biological filter, as is presently carried out in the Makkasan and Rama IX swamps. Later on, His Majesty emphasized an integrated treatment system using the Chaipattana aerators, because water hyacinth treatment needs a vast area and has a limited capacity to reduce contamination.

- Renewable Energy

His Majesty had foreseen the trouble arising from the energy crisis currently being faced and had advised the Thai people how to deal with the problem over 40 years ago. Formal efforts to develop renewable energy like gasohol began in 1985. His Majesty called for a study of producing ethanol from sugar cane as He believed that oil sources may be depleted. And as His Majesty expected the price of sugar cane to drop, He deemed the conversion of sugar cane into ethanol a worthwhile solution. Another project to convert vegetable oil into biodiesel fuel as an alternative to diesel was started at around the same time as the development of gasohol. His Majesty was most interested in experimenting with the extraction of palm oil in order to produce bio-diesel fuel which can be used in diesel engines. Another benefit is that it is not harmful to the environment. Today, His Majesty’s project to produce alternative energy has led to an increase of availability of energy in Thailand that is more economical and cleaner and thus safer for the environment. Moreover, the project has helped reduce the need to rely on energy from abroad and also provided support to farmers. To summarize it could be said that His Majesty’s efforts all serve to strengthen the overall Thai economy.

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THE BHUMIRAK DHAMACHART PROJECT
THE ROYAL NATURE CONSERVATION CENTER

Location: 98/1 Moo 2 Baan Tadan, Mueang District, Nakhon Nayok THAILAND 2600

History

On December 21, 1989 the Chaipattana Foundation bought a piece of land covering an area of about 5 rais, or 6 acres. Later the Vajiravudh College Alumni Association Under the Royal Patronage was given permission to use this piece of land as a center for displaying His Majesty the King’s Royal Development Projects to the public through activities. Then the Recreation Resource Management Center Project was planned in order to present His Majesty’s concrete ideas and theories for the development of agriculture, livestock, environment and energy as well as demonstrate of living the Thai lifestyle using appropriate technologies. Moreover, various kinds of activities related to His Majesty’s Projects are also prepared for visitors to participate in. On July 16, 2002 the Vajiravudh College Alumni Association was allowed by H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Executive Chairperson of the Chaipattana Foundation, to start the project as planned. On December 14, 2002 H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn named the centerThe Bhumirak Dhamachartand