The Environmental Management Process of Samchuk Market Community, Suphanburi Province

Abstract

Three main objectives of this research were to study 1) the factors affecting the development of Samchuk Market community as a conservation and ecotourism, 2) the impacts affecting the community after the ecotourism source development, 3) the environmental management of the Samchuk Market community after its ecotourism destination development, and finally to find out the measures and suggestions for appropriate environmental management. This study employed the qualitative research technique to collect and analyse the data collected by using interviews, focus group discussions and observations from the key informants within the Samchuk Market community of Supanburi province. The results of the study were as followed.

            The factors that affected the development of Samchuk Market community as a conservation and ecotourism consisted of 1) the physical and socio-cultural factors, 2) economic factors, 3) the community capacity and social capital, 4) the external organizations’ support given to the community, 5) the tourism promotion policy, 6) communication factor, and 7) the tourism source elements. The Samchuk Market community had various attractions, amenity, and accessibility with available and comfortable travelling routes, visiting activities, and available accommodations surrounding the market place.

            The impacts from the tourism destination development of the Samchuk Market community were originated from the better relationships between the community and the municipality. The relationship pattern among the community members have been changed under their mutual beneficial condition with more participation and inter-cooperation between every sector within the community. However, the old folk ways’ social interactions were found decreasing, while the population increased with more cultural and traditional recovery.  The community recovered itself in income generating and distributing, household clean and maintenance, but found more waste increasing as well.

            The environmental management of the community was based on the participatory exchange of ideas, planning, and implementation of the members after its development for ecotourism destination through establishing the community market development committee, and the community foundation. The community involvement in such activity resulted in its physical and scenery environmental management, including waste and water pollution management.

            Some recommendations on the community management focused on physical and scenery environment, waste and water pollution based on the internal and external organizations’ cooperation with environmental knowledge and awareness of the people.