Thailand, 1979 - FAO expert in Soil Conservation, Ted Cheng hoeing in pilot demonstration area, Mai Sa. Lead caption: The great forests of Thailand are being rapidly destroyed by people desperately in need of land for cultivation. This problem of deforestation is extremely serious for the entire country as Thailand's main water supply is created in these forests of the north. With the forests rapidly shrinking, Thailand is having to face severe floods and droughts in the lowlands. To combat this problem, the Royal Forestry Department of the Government Ministry of Forests requested FAO/UNDP assistance, and the Integrated Watershed Managemet and Forest Land Use Project was set up with headquarters in Chiang Mai. The pilot demonstration centre was established in a mountain region beyond Chiang Mai called Mai Sa.