The number of monks involved in the ecology movement in Thailand, although small, has recently grown rapidly with the popularity of environmentalism currently sweeping Thailand.
Given the respect the Sangha commands in Thai society, the potential for their ecological activism is high.
This can be illustrated through the analysis of an ecology project conducted in 1991 in Nan Province, northern Thailand.
This project, co-ordinated by a Buddhist monk, involved the creation and sanctification of a protected community forest through the ordination of the largest remaining tree in the forest.
The tree ordination provides insight into how ecology monks throughout Thailand are rethinking Buddhism and adapting Buddhist rituals to
promote their cause.
Their concern is as much to maintain the relevance of the religion in a rapidly changing world of industrialization and modernization as to
create an environmental awareness among local people and the Thai nation as a whole.