The effects of urbanization on Doi Suthep-Pui National Park

ABSTRACT: This paper describes the changing relationship between Chiang Mai city and Doi Suthep (doi=mountain), since before the city's foundation nearly 700 years ago. Doi Suthep has great spiritual, cultural and religious significance for Chiang Mai's citizens. It features prominently in several legends which symbolize the triumph of civilized city-dwellers over savage, forest-dwelling hunter-gathers. The spiritual significance of the mountain probably arose as a result of Chiang Mai's early citizens' dependence on it for water, timber and other forest products. Today, however, this relationship is changing. The mountain still plays a vital role in Chiang Mai's economy, no longer as a provider of essential natural resources, but as a tourist attraction. The mountain remains an important water catchment area and is also important for wildlife conservation due to the high biodiversity of its forests and the presence of many rare species. It has a long history as a site for scientific research and as an outdoor laboratory for students. For all these reasons, Doi Suthep was made a national park in 1981. However, in the rush to profit from tourism, the mountain's forests and wildlife are being destroyed. The effects of the city on Doi Suthep are i) direct encroachment of urban sprawl on to the mountain; ii) construction of infrastructure (roads, resorts etc.) to meet the needs of mass tourism; iii) expansion of agriculture, stimulated by the proximity of Chiang Mai as a growing market for agricultural produce and iv) an increase in hunting, leading to the extirpation of all large mammal species. However, increased development in the city has brought with it the economic prosperity needed to fund conservation projects as well as an affluent middle- class which have formed conservation organizations, such as the For Chiang Mai Group, which actively campaign for the conservation of Doi Suthep.