THE SMALL swathes of saffron stretch into the forest as far as the eye can see. Tied around the trunks of majestically tall teak trees, they turn the breathtaking northern Thai hill-top rain forest into a fairytale wonderland. But these picturesque saffron scraps do more than add comestic flourishes to an already stunningly beautiful landscape. They are the results of a grass-root movement's attempt to safeguard the livelihoods of a group of hill farmers. And in doing so, they might just help to save the planet. It's a very big 'might', though.
Once upon a time, a Thai rain forest would have been a funny place to come to witness the results of a shrewd political movement. Especially a movement that might have far-reaching global implications. But not these days. Virgin rain forest is an increasingly rare thing. According to Thai Government figures, 50 years ago Thailand had more than two-thirds forest cover. Now it has less than 14 per cent. And despite a 1989 nationwide logging ban, that figure may well be shrinking.
According to Joni Odochao, headman of the local Nong Tao village, this saffron-covered woodland was almost completely degraded 20 years ago. Because of a potent mix of logging, slash-and-burn farming and fire, it was a desolate wasteland of charred stumps. Now, he says, 'It's 60 to 70 per cent back to its original state and getting better every year.' It looks impenetrable: a thick, lush, vivid green mass of jungle. But first impressions are often deceiving. Beyond its thick fringe, the forest opens up. Nothing grows in the patchwork of shade between the tree trunks except a few scattered saplings. The floor is covered with a deep and slightly moist blanket of leaves, which cushions every step. Even the air feels different. There seems to be more of it up here. And there is. Rain forests are full of oxygen and you find yourself taking big lung-fulls of the stuff. It's fresher and it's much cooler than the valley, where the heat is oppressive. It's beautiful without the saffron. With the saffron it's stunning.
The orange material comes from robes worn by Buddhist monks and was hung as part of a symbolic ordination ceremony back in February organised by a Thai farmers' organisation known as the Northern Farmers Network. Thailand's state religion is Buddhism and put simply, by blessing the trees and covering them in sacred saffron, loggers are made to think twice about putting a axe or chainsaw through them. Put an axe through a tree is the same as putting an axe through a monk goes the logic. And so far at least, it's working.
'This forest is part of me' the soft spoken village headman Joni Odochao, one of the guardians of this forest. 'It's part of all of us here. We are born here and we die here. If we look after this forest then in turn its goodness will effect other things. Other areas further down the valley. Other people, other animals. It is part of all of us and therefore is the responsibility of all of us to take care of it.' Sitting on the soft forest floor, village headman Joni Odochao motions to what is is possibly the biggest tree in this part of the forest. And the piece of saffron tied around it is bigger and more impressive than the other saffron swathes. It marks what the Northern Farmer's Network claim to be the 50 millionth tree that has been ordained in this way and the fifty millionth tree to be saved from the loggers axe. And the monk's robe that covers the tree was given by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindorn. In Thailand, a mixture of Buddhism and Royalty is a potent one. It is this mixture that is the cornerstone of the Northern Farmers' Network's success.
So far Joni Odochao says the Northern Farmers Network have carried out similar ordinations in something like 150 forests. He says the number is now up to 60 million trees and rising. They hope, he says, to ordain all the 400 community forests that are part of their umbrella organization, covering an area of something like 3.2 million square kilometres. Then they plan to start on the ones that aren't part of their community forest organisations. Already he has travelled to Nepal and Japan to explain about tree ordination to grass roots farming movements. 'We are getting somewhere at last' he says with a grin.