The Mae Sa watershed was chosen as the study area because it is a
representative site for small-scale rural development and integrated watershed
management in mountainous regions, which includes upstream and downstream
communities, tourist resorts and several government line agencies. Some of the
government agencies are located in the watershed area such as the Royal Projects
(Mae Sa Mai and Nong Hoy) and Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden (Figure 1.2).
Furthermore, the watershed had been selected to serve as a pilot project for river
rehabilitation and land development launched by LDD in 2007.