Honey Hunters’ Way of Life at Thung Bang Nok Ohk Forest in the Lower Songkhla Lake Basin amidst Climate Change in Southern Thailand

Abstract

In the Southern part of Thailand, especially in the LowerSongkhla Lake Basin, climate change has affected the way of life ofthe surrounding communities where people’s lives depend on naturalresources. In Songkhla Province, Thung Bang Nok Ohk is the largestmelaleuca forest to which Apis dorsata F. migrate in the beginning of therainy season when melaleuca flowers begin to bloom. Wild honey has beenan income source for people in the community for more than a century.The local wisdom used by villagers to hunt for wild honey is to makenests called “Bang Kad”. However, with changes in the environment likeforest encroachments, forest fires and climate change, forests have beenaffected and villagers can perceive the changes, especially their occupationin harvesting wild honey. During the last decade, villagers know that theamounts of honey they can collect have been less than before. This articleaims to reveal that villagers can perceive the climate change in the seasonsof the year, the amount and intensity of rainfall, and the change of windvelocity. These factors affect the wild honey production and the incomethey make from selling it which has obviously declined. The number of “Bang Kad” they make to nest honeybees and that of beehives made byhoneybees are in inverse relation, that is tosay the number of “Bang Kad”increases while that of the beehives decreases. Because of their perceptionof the problems, wild honey hunters have gathered into a group ofcommunity enterprise that conserves giant honeybees. This is another wayof preserving the forest for sustainable utilization by the community.