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Our Earth constitutes and accommodates many
living things holistically. Therefore, any change in one living
thing affects all the others. The coexistence of human beings
with other living things, as a part of a wider natural environment,
must also be both holistic and reciprocal. Based on these
principles, the Sustainable Development Foundation believes
in a holistic and integrated development paradigm that highlights
diversity and interaction. Systems of production and consumption
must not destroy natural resources and the environment, nor
lead to pollution or over-exploitation.
Sustainable development must consider closely
the principle of social interaction, whereby human beings
jointly share a common ownership of the natural resources
around them. Such social interaction and common ownership
is acknowledged in traditional wisdom, culture and humanitarianism,
all of which recognise the importance of local community ways
of life. The experiences gained by, and the existence of traditional
knowledge within, local communities allows them to live harmoniously
and in balance with the local natural resource base and the
wider environment. This can further lead to greater self-reliance
and improved quality of life. To maintain the balance it is
important to develop indigenous wisdom, recognize indigenous
cultures, and empower indigenous peoples, at the same time
increasing the participation of both men and women in making
decisions and implementing activities at both the local and
policy levels.
Sustainable development
is only possible when the management of natural resources
and the environment occurs with the active participation of
the people. This is because human beings are an intrinsic
and active part of the ecosystem, so various natural, environmental,
social, economic, customary, traditional, and technical factors
need to be considered holistically and systematically. In
order to support sustainable practices and to maintain already
limited natural resources, it is necessary to consider the
relevance and application of participatory management systems
that promote a good balance between these human factors and
local natural resources. The systems should, with transparency,
allow the public to express their views and be kept informed
of relevant decisions on a range of matters. Likewise, there
should be a sharing of information and news, and the collective
development of action plans to find genuine solutions to the
problems faced by the people.
Appropriate natural resource management requires
proper and firm decisions based on accurate information. There
has to be coordination and integration of new ideas, along
with a monitoring and evaluation process that is based on
equitable and holistic analysis. There is a need to consider
natural resources and the environment, society and the economy,
and equality between regions and within localities. Finally,
all future planning needs to have long-term goals, a broad
vision and clear agreements from all concerned parties.
Sustainable Development Foundation's Objectives
- To promote education and holistic approaches
to bring about sustainable development.
- To promote, support and develop the effectiveness
of NGOs, people's organizations, other groups and their
networks to facilitate economic, social and environmental
sustainable development.
- To strengthen and expand the coordination
of NGOs, people's organizations and other group's networks
in order to develop their capacities and potential for attaining
development goals.
- To disseminate information to the public
in order to raise awareness about the problems of the people,
and to motivate public participation in problem solving
from the implementation stage all the way to the national
policy level.
- To strengthen the understanding of sustainable
development, and to build up cooperation for sustainable
development among various groups: the public, academic institutions,
government, private businesses, and other partnerships including
cooperation among Thai and international NGOs.
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