Volunteering in Thailand with International Volunteer Community Association offers the opportunity to be part of the Phadam Forest Conservation Group’s efforts to restore and preserve the Phadam Forest in the southern province of Songkhla.
I personally had the pleasure to be a part of this restoration effort on Saturday, December 14th, 2019. Upon arrival to the Phadam camp and after a mere 15-minute drive from the camp to a trail not far off the road, the members of the Phadam group, the IVCA crew, and nearly 80 volunteers began the 1-hour hike to the planting site for the day. Surrounded by lush forest and hundreds of different species of flowers, insects, spiders and plants, the hike was nothing short of wondrous.
Upon arriving at the site, which was particularly chosen for the destruction it had faced years ago, members of the Phadam Group dug holes for us to begin planting. By the time we were finished and had stuck posts at each tree, over 300 trees had been planted! Species of trees included Durian, Takien, and Payom, and we will track their progress over the next months and years. To take part in helping revive the forest and to create the necessary biodiversity to keep it thriving is incredibly rewarding. To do so amongst so many other amazing and like-minded individuals is even more heartfelt.
After the tree-planting, some of us played in the stream that runs through the forest while others just hung out and relaxed under the shade of the trees. Soon, lunch was served buffet-style from the back of a pick-up in a clearing in the middle of the forest and we all welcomed the fuel after the morning hike and project. After cleaning up a bit, we gathered around and spoke on the importance of what we were doing that day. The President of IVCA, Malagor, spoke on the necessity for us to learn from this project and how to facilitate a better way of living through the natural world around us. Pichai, Founder and President of one of IVCA‘s partner foundations, as well as a senior member of the Phadam Forest Group, both discussed the history of the forest and their fight to keep it protected over the years. Myself and another volunteer touched on how thankful we were to have such a large group come together to share in the efforts, and how impressed we were that this group of young adults chose their Saturday morning to get out here and put the work in. Our words of English were translated to the crowd and were well-received. Of course, pictures commenced and then we began our trek back to the road.
We piled 16 of us in the back of one truck bed while others jumped into other vehicles or walked the trail to head back. Getting stuck in mud, being jostled against one another and dodging tree limbs and branches along the way proved to be part of our adventure back. We drove back to camp and said our goodbyes to one another – a few of us hanging back to enjoy the grounds and the beauty of the lake.
The sense of community felt that day as smiles and laughter were shared among all of us, was simply overwhelming. Each of us was happy to have played such a large part in this tiny portion of the forest, knowing that it is these small steps that will create a big change for our future.
Becky Graves
