Local community way of life intertwined with goods and products from natural wetland dynamics. Wetland degradation occurred throughout Thailand north-eastern region due to rapid urban expansion threaten and changed the local communities.

 

              “Nhongdae” is one of the degraded wetland in the fringe of Udonthani, rapidly developing province in North-eastern Thailand. This site is a shallow basin, seasonal freshwater marsh, which is the dominant type of wetland scatters in the region. This highly productive landscape is influenced by the dynamic of the water level. It is a natural stormwater catchment area and became a 3-4 months lake in rainy season, dry out and became utilizable land in drought season. The wet-dry landscape characters provided biodiversity richness and lift of the land benefits for the local community.

 

              Nhongdae was excavated by local government in an attempt to turn the wetland into water retention basin. The wetland thus loss natural water dynamics, the water level has changed drastically and can no longer provide support for local communities. To reclaim the wetland the project studied hydrological pattern and proposed water flow management to mimicked that of the natural. Reintroduced the wet-dry edge highly productive landscape dynamic. These two major efforts are to revive the wetland. For a natural element to last and stay function in the ever-expanding city is to make people realised the values. Education trails and water adaptive recreation area were designed according to the natural dynamic.