Forest conservation in the Thai-Myanmar Borderland

The research looks at the close interlinkages between Karen communities’ customary land tenure systems (the kaw), the evolution of place-based knowledge in forest conservation amidst climate and armed conflicts. It focuses on grassroots adaptation strategies, in particular how local communities identify and/or adjust traditional/natural indicators for climate adaptation.

Institutional partners
Chiang Mai University
Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)

Uncontrollable forest fires have become more intense and are occurring with higher frequency due to climatic and land use change (e.g. from swidden cultivation to commercial crops), causing severe environmental degradation, widespread air pollution, and health problems. The research will look at how upland communities design and organize firebreaks application for forest fire prevention and how these evolve over time in Laos. TRACE positions firebreaks as place-based knowledge systems, institutional arrangements, and farm households’ livelihood strategies.

Institutional partners
National University of Laos

Sea nomads have been (re)adjusting their fishing territories, settlement areas, and connections with the outside world for centuries. The research looks at sea nomads’ strategies in creating spaces and (re)making territories, while relying on their knowledge on ethno-weather (e.g. ocean currents, wind directions among others), to sustain their livelihoods amidst climate related disasters, demographic pressures, and global trends in industrial fishing.

Institutional partners
Ateneo De Davao University
Tebtebba
Sea Nomads Contact Group

The research focuses on the institutional evolution of centuries old community-based irrigation institution, Subak, in Bali and the evolution of various traditional Javanese (cropping) calendar (mongso on Java, Wariga on Bali), while responding to climate and wider processes of agrarian change (e.g. tourism and labor availability due to out migration). Positioning institutional rules shaping in ceremonies and rituals as the main text, it unpacks grassroots adaptation strategies both spatially and culturally.

Institutional partners
Gadjah Mada University
Udayana University
Airlangga University
Walhi Yogyakarta