The Mae Fah Luang Foundation Under Royal Patronage, represented by Thanphuying Putrie Viravaidya (2nd from the left), Chairperson of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage, and M.L. Dispanadda Diskul (2nd from the right), Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage, met with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to discuss potential collaboration in sustainable development alternatives and addressing the global climate change crisis. The meeting was attended by Ms. Ghada Fathi Waly, UNODC Executive Director (third from left), Executive Director of UNODC, and H.E. Ms. Pattharat Hongthong (third from right), Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations in Vienna. The meeting took place at the UNODC Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, recently.
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Mae Fah Luang Foundation Expands 36 Years of Success, Continuing the Royal Legacy with a New Mission to Provide Sustainability Consulting and Partnering to Address the Global Climate Crisis
The Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage, with its long-standing “Planting Trees, Planting People” philosophy, has adapted its organizational strategy to respond to today’s global challenges. With over 36 years of experience in implementing the Mae Fah Luang model, the foundation has now launched a new division dedicated to “Sustainability Consulting.” This division aims to help tackle the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, and to promote sustainable goals by collaborating with both public and private sector networks to address these pressing issues.
M.L. Dispanadda Diskul, Secretary-General and CEO of The Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage, said:
In 2025, the foundation will refocus its operations to adapt to the changing social and environmental landscape, with four key areas of work: 1) Area-based development projects to enhance the quality of life in local communities, 2) Social business initiatives under the Doi Tung brand to create stable employment and sustainable enterprises, 3) Nature-based Solutions to develop quality of life alongside environmental conservation, and 4) Sustainability consulting to help drive organizational sustainability by leveraging the knowledge and expertise accumulated through the Doi Tung Development Project and other past and present initiatives.
The foundation aims to integrate the Mae Fah Luang philosophy into global policies, applying the knowledge from Thailand to benefit other countries and organizations. The goal is to spread the royal work principles of Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra, which can be applied on international platforms to achieve sustainability in all dimensions.
For the four key areas, roles and activities have been clearly defined:
- Area-Based Development Projects focus on improving the quality of life in local communities, integrating economic, social, and environmental aspects. These include initiatives like the Doi Tung Development Project, the Rojjai Rak Project in Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai, and community forestry projects in northern Thailand, as well as overseas projects in Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Indonesia.
- Social Business under the Doi Tung Brand aims to create stable employment and sustainable businesses in five key sectors: processed foods, coffee and macadamia, handicrafts, Doi Tung cafés, agriculture, and tourism.
- Nature-Based Solutions focuses on enhancing life quality while preserving natural resources. In 2020, the foundation initiated the “Carbon Credit Forest Management Project” with the government, private sector, and local communities. The project was registered as a voluntary carbon offset program under Thailand’s greenhouse gas management framework, covering over 258,000 rai of forest land and benefiting 281 communities in 11 provinces, with more than 150,000 participants. This initiative helps alleviate unemployment, reduce household debt, and mitigate forest fires and air pollution.
- Sustainability Consulting is a new initiative launched last year. This division offers practical sustainability solutions for businesses and organizations worldwide, addressing climate change, waste management, biodiversity conservation, and community development. The goal is to help businesses reduce carbon footprints, manage waste responsibly, and engage in community-based environmental projects to ensure long-term sustainability.
With this new organizational structure, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation is confident it can continue its mission to create lasting social and environmental impact, focusing on improving lives and contributing to the global sustainability movement.
Sustainability Report 2023
Annual Report 2023
M.L. Dispanadda Diskul, Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of Mae Fah Luang Foundation, called on H.E. Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Ambassador of Thailand to Singapore,
To discuss about sustainable development and carbon credit collaboration between Thailand and Singapore
On 15 August 2024 M.L. Dispanadda Diskul, Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of Mae Fah Luang Foundation, called on H.E. Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Ambassador of Thailand to Singapore, to discuss about sustainable development and carbon credit collaboration between Thailand and Singapore, during their visit to Singapore to meet with related government and private agencies.
The Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage seeks to drive sustainable economic growth, particularly through community forest initiatives, by implementing integrated community development that can be applied internationally. The Foundation is currently engaged in various climate change projects in collaboration with government agencies and private companies across multiple countries.
On this occasion, Ambassador Ureerat commended the Foundation for its efforts to expand international collaboration, particularly in sustainability and carbon credits where Singapore has significant progress and expertise. The Embassy is pleased to support the Foundation in future partnerships with Singapore relevant agencies.
Annual Report 2022
Key Success Factors For Sustainable Development
Sustainable Event
The Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage (MFLF) provides services of event venues and organizes various events and functions; for example, study visits, general visits, tourism activities, and youth initiatives. The MFLF’s goal is to sustainably organize events to ensure the community and nature thrive together while achieving economic, social, and environmental balance in accordance with global sustainable development trends. The MFLF therefore establishes policies for sustainable event organization as follows:
The Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage is dedicated to organizing events based on sustainability principles to create positive impacts on the economy, society, and environment, and not burden future generations. This encompasses organizations, communities, and all relevant stakeholders.
Article: How does carbon credit stop poverty and agricultural land conversion?
Image: Mae Fah Luang Foundation
Article by
M.L. Dispanadda Diskul, Chief Executive Officer
and Supatchaya Techachuchucherd, Environmental Project Manager
Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage
- Climate change, poverty, and agricultural land conversion are intrinsically linked, and forest protection is vital to prevent biodiversity loss.
- Between 2001 and 2019, Southeast Asia suffered forest loss of 610,000 km2 – an area greater than Thailand.
- The Mae Fa Luang Foundation’s project covers 49 communities across Thailand and protects 160,000 hectares of forest against wildfires.
Agricultural land conversion is a major threat to forest loss and places severe pressure on climate and biodiversity. In Southeast Asia, we witnessed forest loss of 610,000 km2 – an area greater than Thailand – between 2001 and 2019. So too, increasing temperatures, droughts, and unpredicted rainfalls lead to lower crop yield, pushing farmers to expand their agricultural land for survival. Climate change could lead to a loss of 4% of global annual economic output by 2050.
Since 2020, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural ecosystems in Thailand have been in the spotlight for the various co-benefits they bring. Applying NbS to stop agriculture land conversion requires multi-stakeholders’ engagement such as government, technical experts and academia in forestry, private sector, and local communities. Yet, due to fragmented regulation and a lack of real-doers on the ground, bringing them to the cooperation table is a giant obstacle.
Thailand’s Community Forest Model – A thriving forest means a thriving community
To convert land use for agricultural production into forest protection, stable sources of income should be in place for the community. A carbon credit scheme could be a tool to engage communities in a sustainable forest protection policy. The Carbon Credit from Community Forests for Sustainability project by the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and its partners illustrated this possibility.
The undertaking bridges cooperation from government entities to authorize land use for the REDD+ project, private sectors to fund the project, and the community to spearhead the implementation. The initiative supports communities in validating and verifying carbon credit and earning income from selling carbon credit. In lieu of only buying the credit, private donors support funding for livelihood development activities and forest management, providing additional income, and incubating local business initiatives.
Image: Mae Fah Luang Foundation
For example, in its initial phase in 2020, the 157-hectare Doi Saket community forest complex received a total funding of $294,900. Ton Phueng village is one of the Doi Saket complexes that use a livelihood development fund to establish a local enterprise producing eco-friendly packaging from dry leaves, effectively reducing wildfire fuels. This business generates an average of $8,500 annually, is partaken by community members of all ages, and promotes Ton Phueng village’s Social Return on Investment (SROI), which is currently at 1.26.
The forest management fund also helped establish fire break and patrolling, which decreased wildfire burn areas from 742 to 368 hectares between 2020 and 2021. This year, fires only covered 196 hectares of land, marking a dramatic reduction of 17.24% after two years of operation.
The Mae Fa Luang project covers 49 communities and more than 8,000 hectares nationwide. The Foundation and its partners aim to scale its forest protection – covering 160,000 hectares of forest – as a carbon sink, to engage over 1,100 communities and sequester an estimated 300,000-500,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Biodiversity loss: A critical point
Image: JS Singh
Compared to reforestation or the renewable energy sector, forest protection doesn’t generate much carbon credit; however, protecting forests provides biodiversity co-benefits. Biodiversity is essential to support all life on Earth. Without a wide range of animals, plants, and microorganisms, we cannot have healthy ecosystems to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.
Planetary Boundaries indicate that biodiversity loss is far more severe than climate change, while land use change is the primary cause of biodiversity loss. The right incentive for people to stop encroaching on forests and extending agricultural land is urgent. Although the afforestation project is increasing the green area significantly, the REDD+ project could protect the existing forests and our remaining biodiversity. Once these are lost, it could take an average of 120 years to recover.
Biodiversity prevails through carbon credit
The lack of global solidarity towards the climate ambition of 1.5°C affects not only humans’ way of life and our future but the whole biosphere. Conserving nature and creating more income for people who live in forests are seen as solutions in the opposite direction. With sound project planning and implementation, awareness from all stakeholders, and people-centric activity, carbon credit could be an effective tool to protect nature while developing the community’s livelihood. Through this endeavour, biodiversity might prevail with us.
This article is part of the World Economic Forum 2023 annual meeting held from 16-20 January 2023 in Davos, Switzerland under the theme “Cooperation in a Fragmented World”. With an important agenda on how to deal with the problem of global turbulence. Through economic restructuring that is linked to the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels for clean, sustainable energy. Which is a continuation of the 2022 conference (uploaded on www.weforum.org which is the official website of the World Economic Forum : https://bit.ly/3WtgYqL)