Kanit Sookdaeng or Pi Nid (In Thailand ‘Pi’ is used to refer to an older person, it translates as ‘older sister’), a strong 65-year-old woman, is a single mother of five children, of about the same age for over 30 years. Pi Nid is originally from Uttaradit province. She is a considerate person who enjoys helping others; no matter what she does, she always thinks of others before herself. Pi Nid is a hardworking person of the type that is hard to come by. She tells us that when she was young, she did every job a man also does. She proudly tells us many times that the floor of the Khlong Prasong Mosque building was her own work.
“No matter if it’s public work or personal work, whether there’s payment or not, just do it all.” We often hear this statement from Pi Nid.
Currently, Pi Nid’s main income is from selling porridge and deep-fried dough sticks in the morning. Every day, she makes a small booth in front of her house to serve as a porridge shop. She wakes up at three in the morning to make preparations and to start selling from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Her customers are members of the community who come back from night fishing and crabs hunting, and stop by for breakfast before going home.
Pi Nid’s house is located on the banks of the estuary of the Krabi River, living right on the edge of the rising seas, in Khlong Prasong village, which is a community situated on Klang Island. The island is located in the middle of the mouth of the Krabi River Estuary, in Mueang district, Krabi province. She told us that her first house was located next to the beach, about 500 meters away from her current house. In the past, every monsoon season, her house would be hit by waves, sometimes even destroyed beyond repair. Many times, she had to rebuild her house with the assistance of neighbors in the community. She had to relocate her house further inland several times until now, where it stands at its fifth location.
“After this, there’s nowhere else for me to move onto the land because it’s the edge of my land. The next land is already owned by neighbors.”
Even though Pi Nid’s life journey may not be comfortable, having to face the hardship of raising children alone, and fighting against natural disasters, she has never thought of giving up or moving away to another place. Pi Nid says she enjoys the lifestyle here, living close to nature and learning to coexist with it throughout her life. She points out that houses near a mangrove forest will be safe from natural disasters. She has taken it upon herself to plant trees in the mangrove forest behind her house, starting with one or two plants each time. Although there are only a few trees, they serve as a shield, making her house well-protected.
Kanit Sookdaeng (or Pi Nid) participated in the data collection meeting of the Ban Khlong Prasong community.
Whenever there is an approach to Disaster Risk Reduction Using Mangrove Ecosystems initiated by an external agency coming into the community, Pi Nid never misses the opportunity to participate and even encourages others to join. Pi Nid says that we, as a community, have made a lot of mistakes before achieving the current lush forested area like today. This is because learning takes time. Previously, rushed planting, focusing on quantity over quality, and using inappropriate tree species for the area resulted in stunted growth, and sometimes growing slowly. By dedicating her free time away from daily responsibilities to inspecting, caring for, and personally repairing the trees, Pi Nid observes significant improvements in tree growth due to past mistakes. She learns about the natural process of the mangrove forest, gradually fostering tree growth by itself with minimal human intervention but necessary assistance.
“After planting trees, we naturally want to get results. Even though others may come to help plant, the ones who benefit are us. If we do not take care of it, who else will help us take care of it?” Having a lifestyle that is closely connected to, and dependent on, the mangrove forests has instilled Pi Nid with a deep love and commitment to the mangrove forests that she has played a part in creating. Sometimes, she even confronts those who come to cut down large trees without sufficient reasons. There have been instances where negotiations had to take place with relevant government agencies. “We plant, we care for it. Now they come to cut it down to sell. How is that fair? I am not afraid although I am a woman,” she said in a firm voice.
Every time there is an activity related to reforestation, Pi Nid is one of the first key persons to be contacted by both government and private organizations to coordinate with the community. With her strong and influential voice, everyone listens and cooperates when she speaks. Pi Nid is truly committed to public work. Rarely does she refuse requests from others. She often accepts and offers help without hesitation. Therefore, Pi Nid is frequently contacted for training sessions and seminars. Although Pi Nid does not hold an official leadership position in the community, over the years, she has been significantly involved in every stage of the development of the Khlong Prasong community. Pi Nid takes part in presenting ideas and participating in every activity. This has earned her acceptance and respect from the community people without any doubt.
Photos of Pi Nid taken by Leo Thom, Mangrove Action Project
Currently, Pi Nid holds several leadership positions within the community. She is the head of the natural dyeing group, which uses natural dyes from mangrove bark. She also serves as a village committee member, the Chairperson of village health volunteers group, and a school committee member. In addition, Pi Nid was recently elected as the Vice President of “Khlong Prasong Community Forest Group” which is a community organization established by the community for the community, focusing on activities to conserve the community’s mangrove forest. Pi Nid believes that if the group can advocate for the official registration and recognition of Khlong Prasong’s mangrove forests as a community mangrove forest by law, the Khlong Prasong villagers shall have the right to apply the community forest rules and regulations to manage, oversee, and protect the community forest from those seeking to exploit it for logging or unsustainable harvesting. Pi Nid and every community member are devoted to protecting this mangrove forest because they have been working together to create and safeguard it for a long time. Pi Nid always emphasizes that the benefits of forest restoration are not limited to her generation, but will extend to future generations. She envisions a future where every resident of Khlong Prasong can thrive, have access to mangrove resources, and live safely without fear of coastal erosion, an issue she has faced in the past.
“Looking back on my life, I’m proud of it. I don’t need much of it. Even though I was not born here, this will be the last chapter of my life,” Pi Nid concluded.
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This article was written by Jaruwan Enright, Mangrove Conservation Coordinator of the Knowledge Foundation for Development. It was first published in Thai language in Medium.com.
The Knowledge for Development Foundation (K4D) is a non-profit organization, registered in Thailand since 2023. Its main objective is to empower marginalized and underprivileged communities with the skills and knowledge necessary to foster an inclusive environment social coverage, not discriminating against sex and create a sustainable data ecosystem. K4D Foundation’s vision is to be a source of knowledge and practices, using a data-driven approach to build community capacity, improving access to information, and developing digital skills and knowledge in order to create a collaborative data ecosystem.