Wildfires in Chiang Mai

Ban Pang Yang is a small village in the Ban Pong subdistrict of the Hang Dong district in Chiang Mai province. It is home to around 210 people, most of whom are elderly women. The community has faced ongoing challenges due to recurring forest fires, which pose a constant threat to their safety and the local environment. In April 2023, wildfires broke out near the village, prompting a swift response from emergency services and Doi Suthep-Pui National Park officials to prevent the situation from escalating, particularly in light of the severe fire in 2020. In July 2023, in response to the environmental damage caused by the fires, the community launched the ‘Mai Yuen Ton, Pa Yang Yuen’ (‘Everlasting Trees, Enduring Forest’) initiative, working with partners to replant trees and restore the damaged forest ecosystem. This collaborative effort reflects the community’s resilience and commitment to long-term ecological recovery.

This year, THE REGENERATIVE FUTURE program brought students into close connection with communities affected by wildfires, offering opportunities to observe real-world challenges and contribute to forest restoration efforts.

FabCafe Bangkok has just concluded the second iteration of THE REGENERATIVE FUTURE, a program designed to engage young people in environmental challenges through hands-on learning. In 2024, the focus was engaging the new generation with environmental challenges and empowering them to apply their technology skills to create real-world impact. In 2025, the program’s emphasis shifted from theory to practice by immersing participants in hands-on internships centered around the ongoing forest fire crisis in Chiang Mai. Participants explored real-world issues in the Insight Camp across four days of late March, followed by the three-day Technology camp to experiment with tools like drones and IoT technology. 

This year’s THE REGENERATIVE FUTURE program brought together 38 students, averaging 17 years of age, from 12 schools across five cities: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Loei, Khon Kaen, and Bangkok.The program was organized in collaboration with Chiang Mai University, the Forest Restoration Research Unit (FORRU), Breath Council, local tribal Leaders, and staff from Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, and under the guidance of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stephen Elliott of Chiang Mai University. 

This program aims to empower young people to understand and act on climate and environmental issues with a design-based approach. By combining tech, field experience, and collaboration with local experts,THE REGENERATIVE FUTURE builds confidence and real-world capability alongside the new generation of students looking to make real change. The program itself sets a new standard for how education can drive long-term social and environmental impact.

The Program

Insight Camp

The 4-day Insight Camp offered an enriching, location-specific learning experience that combines academic knowledge with local expertise. With this year’s focus, ecological restoration, students explored the causes of forest fires, their ecological impacts, and current mitigation strategies. The aim of this camp was so that the students will have a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in forest conservation, and will be ready to embark on the practical, technology-focused phase of the program, the Technology Camp.

The first day of the Insight Camp began with a Forest Assessment session with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stephen Elliott of Chiang Mai University. Through a deep lecture, the students learned about the ecological value of forests and were introduced to methods of assessing their condition. 

On the second day, the students visited the Community Forest. There, the Breath Council raised awareness of the importance of community-managed forests, while the students explored the ways in which humans are intertwined with these natural resources.

The third day of the camp consisted of a field trip to Hmong village of Mae Sa Noi, where students observed first-hand how traditional knowledge and local expertise can contribute to effective forest management. Students were introduced to various technologies such as Audiomoth, an open-source device used to collect biodiversity data, satellite-based remote sensor, IoT, and drones. Here the students did not only learn how these technologies are developed and applied, but also explored possible solutions in deploying these tools. 

The Insight Camp closed with a day of forest bathing followed by a visit to Doi Suthep-Pui National Park and Doi Pui village, and a workshop. Students gained insight into the coordination required with stakeholders, by meeting with park officials, local communities and media. The workshop helped students to reflect on their experience and think about how they can contribute to forest solutions in their own communities. 

Students left the Insight Camp with a deeper understanding of the challenges and possibilities in protecting forests, ready to move on to the hands-on phase of the program.

Technology Camp-Precision Forestry and IoT workshops

The Technology Camp consisted of two concurrent three-day workshops: the 3D Scan Precision Forestry workshop and the IoT workshop, of which students chose and attended one of the two workshops.

3D Scan Precision Forestry camp

Students in the Precision Forestry workshop spend their three days learning about drones and scanning technologies used in forest monitoring, like LiDAR and photogrammetry, to collect and interpret forest data with high accuracy. 

On the first day, students were introduced to such technologies and had hands-on training in drone piloting skills, which they applied in the field work the next day. Students collected data by flying drones in the forest area in Pang Yang and were able to gather high-resolution images data that could later be used to analyze forest structure and biodiversity.

Lecturers included engineers from Urban Data Thailand and consultant Adilan Ayuya, who introduced to students what kind of data is measured in the field, how they are converted into geospatial data, and how these data can be used. These lecturers introduced both practical skills in topographical and surveying software as well as the concepts behind their uses in forest monitoring. They explained that such tools can help in detecting fires in addition to monitoring greenspaces and managing water resources. 

The final day of the 3D scan Precision Forestry focused on data processing and analysis. Students were introduced to software tools such as CloudCompare and QGIS, and through these tools, they learned how to interpret various images to identify different plant species, and indicators of biodiversity.

IoT Camp

The IoT workshop began with a lecture by Samustpon Tanapant, the CTO of FabCafe Bangkok. Students were introduced to fundamental concepts of IoT technologies used in the wildfire sites such as the audio logging app Audiomoth, drone-based forest scanning, and multispectral imaging. This helped students to understand how connected devices can collect, exchange and respond to data in forest solutions. 

After a day indoors, the IoT Camp took students into the field to visit the community of Pong Yaeng. Students observed existing uses of IoT technologies and gained valuable insight into how the community utilizes such technologies in low connectivity areas. 

Following the visit, students explored how IoT can help in areas with poor or no network signals. Chiang Mai University professor Kampol Woradit guided students through modern fire detection technologies like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sensor nodes, and Long Range (LoRa) wireless networks. He explained the challenges these technologies overcome as well as those still faced by people in Thailand. 

The workshop then moved onto a hands-on session where students learned how to collect environmental data from sensors, and built a system that sends alerts via email or SMS. During this interactive session, students experienced the full process of designing, building and testing an IoT-based early warning system that was relevant to the community’s environmental needs. 

Final presentation and closing 

As part of the concluding sessions of THE REGENERATIVE FUTURE 2025, students participated in the final presentation. Each group, 3D Scan Precision Forestry and IoT, presented what they have learned during the technology camp and explained their learning to each other in accessible terms. The aim of this session was not only to assess students’ understanding, but also to evaluate their ability to communicate their knowledge to someone without prior technical backgrounds. 

Those gathered also heard a special lecture on the importance of conservation by Chiang Mai University professor Dr. Steve Elliot. Experts could also observe students’ readiness to collaborate in future real-world problems.

Highlight points

Real-world experience

At this year’s THE REGENERATIVE FUTURE, participants gained real-world experience by visiting affected sites and meeting experts. In addition to learning about the affected sites and the stakeholders involved in forest management at Insight Camp, participants received information about various technologies and were able to explore possible solutions to forest management issues in their own communities. These experiences empower students to talk to experts and develop a better understanding of real-world issues, and become prepared for the LAB Leader program that will start from June. In this next part of the program, selected students will continue their journey as Forest Lab Leaders, gaining the opportunity to apply their designs in real field conditions.

Understanding present and future methods

Having participated in this year’s program, the students gained an understanding of modern and future technical methods for fire detection. During the Insight Camp, they visited areas prone to fire and were introduced to the various technologies in use there. Throughout the Technology Camp, they had the opportunity to experiment with these technologies for themselves. They learned not only how to operate advanced equipment, but also to interpret data, troubleshoot field conditions, and think critically about the implications of their findings.

Photo credit: FabCafe Bangkok

Interested in THE REGENERATIVE FUTURE?

If you are interested in immersive educational experiences in Chiang Mai and beyond, or getting hands-on experience with tomorrow’s technology, the team at FabCafe Bangkok is actively looking to collaborate with change-makers, creators, and people interested in supporting this project and helping them bring the students’ prototypes to life! 

A top-down approach is not the only way to create solutions for a social or environmental problem. FabCafe Bangkok aims to take a bottom-up approach in its projects and enact real change on the ground. If you are interested in hearing more about how to collaborate with THE REGENERATIVE FUTURE, please contact FabCafe Bangkok Co-founder Kalaya Kovidvisith through email:  kalaya@fabcafe.com.

For general inquiries about international education opportunities with the FabCafe Network, please contact us! https://fabcafe.com/contact/

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Project Overview

Project client: Juang Pattana Holding

Project period: March-September, 2025

Project team: ChangeFusion, FabCafe Bangkok, The Next Forest 

Participants: 38 students, with an average age of 17, from 12 schools across five cities: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Loei, Khon Kaen, and Bangkok

Education program planning and tour operation: Jutatip Jainuan and Kalaya Kovidvisith