Abstract
Sustainable development of a community needs to be balanced in all dimensions. Global warming and climate change from human emissions can affect the development of communities including highland communities in Chiang Rai, Thailand in terms of human life, growth and yield of plants and animals. This research presents low-carbon tourism for the sustainable development of the rural highland community in Chiang Rai, Thailand by integrating economic, social and environmental objectives in community development for sustainability. This research is carried out through funding of a royal project and is based on mixed research methodology incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques in different stages including, ethnographic delphi future research, in-depth interview and observation. The study evaluates the community development levels standard and indicators for enhancing the community's economic development such as low carbon tourism development through analyzing the available resources and the Royal Project initiatives through education, meeting and discussion. The result shows its impact on four dimensions of development as 1. environmentally friendly agriculture; 2. forest restoration and conservation; 3. community health management; and 4. community strength to support change, to develop into sustainable low carbon highland communities. The results of this research can be used as a guideline for a sustainable low-carbon community development and also to evaluate criteria, indicators, as well as developmental steps for preparing and evaluating community development levels for certification of community development standards into low-carbon sustainable areas.
Highlights
Global Climate change is considered a top priority problem for humanity and the ecosystem all over the world (Hoegh-Guldberg et al 2019)
In January 2018, the low carbon team went to the study area, Huai Nam Kuen village, Chiang Rai from January 15–17, to observe and interact with the highlander community of the village along with training of participating officers and committee members of the region for mobilizations on low-carbon capital, both natural and social, low-carbon economy, low-carbon tourism, low-carbon society and lowcarbon lifestyles to recognize the growing importance of low-carbon tourism for community’s economic development through education, meeting and discussion
In the first phase of development activities, the Royal Project Foundation and Highland Research and Development Institute played an important role as consultants of the various developmental activities and tourism operations to support the touring group and to develop the community infrastructures and facilities to a standard
Summary
Global Climate change is considered a top priority problem for humanity and the ecosystem all over the world (Hoegh-Guldberg et al 2019) It has created several impacts including extreme climatic hazards, disease outbreaks and environmental disruptions (Bastiaansen et al 2020). This global climate change and its effect arise from human development activities and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions (Tobelmann and Wendler 2020). This made many scientists, researchers, policymakers and academicians of many countries to be concerned and search for new developmental steps to reduce C O2 emissions while maintaining sustainable economic development (Finance and Development 2019).
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