The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided financial support to Mr. Pichet Pandam of Baan Bang La, Phuket to attend the 2017 Equator Prize award ceremony and other activities during the Equator Week, to exchange knowledge and experiences with a view to enhance community's capability in sustainable development. The activities were held during 14-19 September 2017 in New York City, United States, against the backdrop of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

 

On 17 September 2017, Mr. Pichet on behalf of his community received the 2017 Equator Prize of US$ 10,000 at the awards ceremony held at the Town Hall Theater, New York City. The Director-General of the Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and officers from the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations in New York were also present at the ceremony to witness and render support to the award recipients from Thailand. Later, on 18 September 2017, the representative of Baan Bang La and the Director-General joined a panel with other winners from Indonesia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Mali, Kenya and Ecuador at the Equator Prize 2017 Winners @SDG Media Zone at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. They exchanged experiences and shared ideas on how to promote local communities’ participation in environmental protection, and the Thai representative presented Thailand’s views on SDGs implementation to the audience comprised of UN General Assembly participants and members of the media.

 

Ban Bang La Mangrove Conservation Group, Phuket Province, was selected by the Equator Initiative under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as one of the 15 communities to receive the 2017 Equator Prize, from among 806 communities around the world whose projects were nominated under the following 3 themes – forest, sea, and land and pasture/wildlife. Acknowledging the importance of mangrove forest which reduced the impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami on the community in 2004, the people of Baan Bang La joined hands to protect public lands from the expansion of urban middle-income housing projects. The community succeeded in arranging an MOU with local authorities to establish a 1,200 rai community mangrove forest conservation area as a part of Klong Ta Ruea mangrove reserve. After more than 10 years of conservation efforts, the Phuket Sea Otter has returned to the area again. In addition, the community has established a community microcredit scheme and other projects to support small businesses and preserve their traditional way of lives.

 

The Equator Initiative organizes the biennial Equator Prize to honor local communities and indigenous people in the tropics zone with outstanding achievement in poverty reduction through the conservation and sustainably use of bio-diversity. The Baan Bang La Mangrove Forest Conservation Group is the third community from Thailand honored with this award. The other two winners from Thailand were the Baan Sub Tai, Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, in 2002 and the Preed Nai Mangrove Conservation and Development Group, Trad Province, in 2004.