The Thai highlands or Hills of northern Thailand is a mountainous natural region in the north of Thailand . Its mountain ranges are part of the system of hills extending through Laos , Burma , and China and linking to the Himalayas , of which they may be considered foothills .
34-455: The highlands in the north of Thailand are characterized by a pattern of generally steep hill ranges, intermontane basins and alluvial gorges. Elevations are generally moderate, little above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) for the highest summits. There is a wide range of elevations though, with floors ranging between 200 and 500 metres (660 and 1,640 ft) above sea level. Towards the Lao border,
68-402: A mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills . Generally, upland refers to a range of hills, typically from 300 m (980 ft) up to 600 m (2,000 ft), while highland is usually reserved for ranges of low mountains . However, the two terms are interchangeable and also include regions that are transitional between hilly and mountainous terrain. Probably
102-646: A collaboration between South-East Asian and Colombian drug traffickers ). According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report published in the mid-2000s, large amounts of opium are only cultivated in Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Colombia. Small to intermediate amounts were produced by Laos, Mexico, and Pakistan, while Thailand and Vietnam produced negligible amounts. Of these countries, opium replacement has been implemented in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Pakistan, Mexico, and Afghanistan. In Colombia, much of
136-827: A few projects. Opium replacement projects are no longer planned and executed over long time frames, as was the case with Thailand's Royal Project and the Doi Tung project. Rather, they take place over two or three years. There are three reasons why Opium Replacement was so successful in Doi Tung of Thailand. One is that Alternative Development (AD) was preceded by violent intimidation of people living in North Thailand. (Ref: Race, Jeffrey, (1974), The War in Northern Thailand, Modern Asian Studies, Vol 8, No. 1, (1974), pg. 105, Published by Cambridge University Press, https://www.jstor.org/stable/311628 ) The second
170-621: A more jagged and steep relief, despite the more moderate height. Most of the Thai highlands are part of the Shan-Thai Terrane , a tectonic plate . The natural environment of the hills used to be dense montane rain forest . Swidden agricultural practices and logging have much reduced the old-growth forest areas which have been replaced by secondary forest . For centuries the Thai highlands have been inhabited with hill tribes mostly from Chinese or Tibeto-Burman descent, such as
204-405: A significant effect on national production. While opium production has been falling, it is attributed to Myanmar warlords new focus on methamphetamines rather than replacement projects. Thailand is widely considered the most successful example of opium replacement policies. Although peak production in Thailand was relatively low (150–200 tonnes annually), Thailand's approach to opium replacement
238-555: A specific name for the whole, "Thai highlands" being the term generally restricted to the Thai area. Broadly defined, and based on their geological composition, there are two mountainous subsystems in Northern Thailand: A great part of the highland area is drained by rivers Ping , Wang , Yom and Nan , all tributaries of the Chao Phraya River flowing in a roughly southern direction. The ranges separating
272-594: Is considered the broadest attempt to replace opium cultivation with cultivation of legal crops. More than 150 crops have been introduced to farmers, especially to farmers from temperate climates (suitable to growing opium). The crops include: cabbage , lettuce , kidney beans , tea , coffee , peaches , apples , herbs , and decorative flowers. In general, these crops were cash crops of medium to high value. While many are not native to Thailand, they have been integrated into Thai cooking and culture. Two particularly successful opium replacement projects are still in operation:
306-473: Is ineffective, noting that Thailand is the only "real" success, but that its success is due to unique and non-replicable factors. Development activities may cause opium cultivators to simply relocate (in what is known as the balloon effect ). Despite the presence of opium replacement projects, the world's supply of illicit drugs is continually rising, while prices are falling. Opium replacement projects are typically implemented by national government agencies with
340-528: Is slow, due to the large scale of cultivation, size of the country, poor security, destruction of infrastructure, and weakness of government institutions. Myanmar has had some attempts at opium replacement: the United Nations has one project in the Wa State (in the north-east) and the Doi Tung project of Thailand also initiated some activities. The areas covered by such projects were too small to have
374-590: Is that it was such a very small project that a well financed (from foreign countries) NGO could handle it. It has no universal application. In 1988 when the AD project started in Doi Tung the total area under illicit poppy cultivation in Thailand was only 2811 hectares (pg. 23 of UNODC's World Drug Report 1999). The same year 1740 hectares had been eradicated. The third reason is that the AD project required eradication to succeed. Eradication still continues. 264 hectares of illicit poppy fields were eradicated in 2013 according to
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#1732771783286408-613: Is the Central Highlands area, which covers most of the central-western parts of the state. Many of these areas are highly elevated alpine regions. The Ozarks cover nearly 120,000 square kilometres (46,000 sq mi), making it the most extensive highland region between the Appalachians and Rockies. This region contains some of the oldest rocks in North America. The spine of the mountains stretches across
442-639: The Akha , Yao , Lahu , Khmu , Hmong and Lisu . These human groups immigrated into this relatively empty region fleeing persecution or harsh central rule in their respective environments, as well as seeking new land for their shifting agricultural productions system. For the past decades these groups have been undergoing a process of integration into the Thai mainstream . Owing to the unrest in Burma , some refugee camps have been established for cross-border refugees in
476-512: The Moon . Opium replacement Opium replacement or opium substitution refers to the process of substituting opium poppy cash crops with non-narcotic alternatives. The concept of opium replacement was first developed within an agricultural framework , most notably in Thailand . Agricultural engineers sought to identify crops that would generate more income than the opium poppy . In
510-655: The United States (notably Western North Carolina ), highveld , used in South Africa and Roof of the World , used for Tibet . The central Afghan highlands are in the center of Afghanistan , mostly located between 2,000 and 3,000 m above sea level. They have a very cold winter, and a short and cool summer. These highlands have mountain pastures during summer ( sardsīr ), watered by many small streams and rivers. There are also pastures available during winter in
544-556: The Royal Project (established in 1969) and the Doi Tung Project (established in 1988). Both have eliminated opium cultivation from their project areas and have helped farmers improve living conditions. They are used as models and are studied by practitioners of opium replacement from other countries. Despite the success of Thailand and, to a lesser extent, Pakistan and Vietnam, many people claim that opium replacement
578-536: The Thai highlands. Certain Kayah and Karen communities, like the "long-necked Karen", are regularly visited by organized tourist groups. At higher elevations, above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), one of the main crops was opium until the 1990s, when the combined effects of development became evident—from the construction of roads into the remote area, increasingly efficient policing, and opium replacement programs. Yearly wildfires are started by local farmers during
612-1136: The United Kingdom include the Southern Uplands in Scotland, the Pennines , North York Moors , Dartmoor and Exmoor in England , and the Cambrian Mountains in Wales . Many countries and regions also have areas referred to as highlands . These include parts of Afghanistan , Tibet , Ethiopia , Canada , Kenya , Eritrea , Yemen , Ghana , Nigeria , Papua New Guinea , Syria , Turkey and Cantabria . Similar terms used in other countries include high country , used in New Zealand , New South Wales , Victoria , Tasmania and Southern Queensland in Australia , and parts of
646-541: The World Drug Report of 2014. Had Alternative Development or Opium Replacement been so successful in Thailand, why is eradication continuing or for that matter opium use, which according to Table I of UNODC's South East Asian Opium Survey is consumed by 96,284 people? The Alternative Development lobby has in its anxiety to push this concept has ignored all these hard facts, as also that all resolutions on Alternative Development recommend Alternative Development as
680-678: The best-known area officially or unofficially referred to as highlands in the Anglosphere is the Scottish Highlands in northern Scotland , the mountainous region north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault . The Highland council area is a local government area in the Scottish Highlands and Britain's largest local government area. Other highland or upland areas reaching 400 m or higher in
714-539: The divide to the Mekong basin becomes higher with peaks occasionally rising above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) and streams flowing in narrow steep valleys. The climate is typical of tropical mountains with clearly delineated wet and dry seasons. Winter temperatures can be cool with frosts occurring most years at higher elevations, but no snow even on the highest peaks. The region of the Thai Highlands encompasses
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#1732771783286748-425: The dry forest soil leads to lower water intake for the trees to extract when the rains arrive. Presently large tracts of the mountains are covered with a mixed vegetation resulting from the capacity of the efficient shifting agricultural system being exceeded. As a result, large areas end up becoming dominated by Imperata cylindrica grass, which is used throughout Thailand as roofing material. Cattle can graze on
782-447: The dry season in different areas of northern Thailand. Often speculators also hire people to set forests on fire in order to claim land title deeds for the areas that, post-fire, become " degraded forest ". The smoke produced by these fires is the main cause of the intense seasonal air pollution in the Thai highlands, also known as the "northern haze". Fires also contribute to the floods in the country by denuding forest undergrowth and
816-535: The endemic vertebrates are restricted to this ecoregion. The highlands of Iceland cover about 40% of the country and are mostly inhospitable to humans. They are generally considered to be any land above 500 m. The mountainous natural region of the Thai highlands is found in Northern Thailand. The Cameron Highlands is a highland area and hill station in Northern Malaysia. Shillong in India in
850-428: The grass to an extent, as agricultural science research in the 1970s showed. The longer term environmental care of the region is associated with forestry and in the lower reaches, perennial fruit like peaches and other trees. Some projects for the restoration of forest cover have been undertaken in ecologically degraded areas. Highland (landform) Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as
884-605: The island of New Guinea, forming the densely populated highlands of Papua New Guinea , and the Highland Papua , Indonesia . The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka are rain forests, where the elevation reaches 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level. The Sri Lanka montane rain forests represent the montane and submontane moist forests above 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the central highlands and in the Knuckles mountain range . Half of Sri Lanka's endemic flowering plants and 51 percent of
918-626: The late 1970s and early 1980s, rural development projects caused the terms opium replacement and opium substitution to be superseded by integrated rural development . In the 1990s, the term shifted to alternative development . This term and its minor variants are still used in Latin America (where crop-replacement approaches are used for coca ). The United Nations refers to these crop replacement projects as sustainable alternative livelihoods ; in Afghanistan , development agencies use
952-715: The main rivers are generally steep, high and continuous. Towards the east, as well as in the Wang and Yom drainage basins , they are lower. The Pai River in the northwest flows westwards into the Salween and the northeastern part is drained by rivers of the Mekong basin, like the Kok and Ing . Geologically in the southern subranges of the Shan Hills layers of alluvium are superimposed on hard rock. The ranges closer to Laos consist of Permo-Carboniferous limestone , which makes for
986-575: The neighboring warm lowlands ( garmsīr ), which makes the region ideal for seasonal transhumance . The highlands in Australia are often above the elevation of 500 m. These areas often receive snowfall in winter. Most of the highlands lead up to large alpine or sub-alpine mountainous regions such as the Australian Alps , Snowy Mountains , Great Dividing Range , Northern Tablelands and Blue Mountains . The most mountainous region of Tasmania
1020-505: The nine administrative provinces of northern Thailand , based on the six-region system , as well as parts of Tak and Sukhothai Provinces. Some areas of the highlands are sparsely populated. Except for the Daen Lao Range (ทิวเขาแดนลาว) at the far northern edge, all ranges in the north of Thailand are roughly aligned from north to south. They are linked to a wide system of ranges in neighboring Burma and Laos that do not have
1054-599: The opium cultivation takes place under the protection of armed groups opposing the government, limiting the success of opium replacement attempts. Laos has experienced steep declines in cultivation, but former opium farmers are often left destitute due to the scarcity of legal, alternative crops. A similar situation had been observed in Pakistan, which is now experiencing an increase in cultivation due to over spill from Afghanistan. The opium replacement project in Afghanistan
Thai highlands - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-535: The state of Meghalaya is a hill station that is surrounded by highlands. Officers of the British Raj referred to Shillong as "The Scotland of the East". Highland continents —or terrae —are areas of topographically unstable terrain , with high peaks and valleys. They resemble highlands on Earth , but the term is applied to much larger areas on other planets. They can be found on Mercury , Venus , Mars , and
1122-757: The support of an international donor. A contractor implements the project in partnership with the national agency. At the moment, the largest providers of funding are the United States Agency for International Development and the European Union . Major contractors include the German Technical Cooperation Agency and several for-profit firms from the United States. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime helps coordinate different efforts, and also funds
1156-458: The term sustainable livelihoods . Opium has been grown in Turkey , Iran , Pakistan , Afghanistan, India , Nepal , Myanmar (formally Burma), Thailand , Laos , China , and Vietnam . It is also believed to be grown in the central post-Soviet states , including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan , Mexico (allegedly imported by immigrant Chinese opium users), and Colombia (reportedly as part of
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