Forms and Mechanisms for Spatial Development Administration in Managing Land and Resources by Community-based Local Administrative Organization suiting Mae Hong Son Ecological and Cultural Landscape

Abstract

The purposes of this study are 1) to analyze the lesson on land and resource management by the community of Local Administrative Organization and 2) to develop a form and mechanism for spatial development administration in managing land and resources by the community of Local Administrative Organization suiting Mae Hong Son ecological and cultural landscape. The qualitative data were analyzed using the concepts of spatial development, cultural landscape, community-based land and resource management, and decentralization as a research framework. The research area is Mae Suat Subdistrict Administrative Organization. The target group was 20 people from the community-based land and resource management working group as well as representatives from the community organization council. This sample was selected using a purposive selection method. The instrument used were: 1) gathering data through the main informant, 2) organizing small group discussions to synthesize lessons learned along with interviewing the community organization council representatives and 3) analyzing data using content information.

The results showed that 1) the community-based land and resource management working group was a parallel mechanism for enhancing spatial management administration. The Sub-district Administrative Organization had issued regulations to support the decentralization policy. 2) Spatial development administration model was a joint integration between organizations in sub-districts and districts. The important factors were a GIS database system and using this database to design the development plans in all dimensions according to area based. Moreover, establishing community organizations supported the sub-district development plan to reduce policy limitation.

These findings have significant implication for the development of cooperative partners in the use of GIS data in planning overall sub-district development on community-based land and resource management. It’s also developing model community to expand the results and apply spatial development administration in the form of parallel mechanisms.