Refield Lab
Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Tourism
Factbox
Location
Krabi, Thailand
Grant Period
May 2024 - November 2024
Grant Amount
THB 682,300
Focus Area
Overview
Refield Lab is a Thai social enterprise in community-based landscape architecture that works with local communities and the natural environment to develop nature-based solutions that improve livelihoods and protect ecosystems. Their sustainable tourism initiatives in Krabi encourage travelers to engage responsibly with destinations — supporting local businesses while preserving the landscapes that make them special.
Impact At A Glance
- Engaging local stakeholders in the development of sustainable destination plans in Krabi
- Creating new livelihood opportunities through responsible tourism management
- Encouraging travelers to learn about and support local culture and natural resources
- Promoting long-term environmental stewardship through community-based landscape design
The Challenge
Thailand’s booming tourism industry brings millions of visitors but also mounting pressure with overcrowded beaches, waste accumulation, and disappearing ecosystems.
Tourism in Thailand is often concentrated around popular attractions, leaving cultural heritage sites, local communities, and fragile ecosystems overlooked. While tourism can bring economic benefits, overcrowding leads to waste management issues, pollution, and the depletion of natural resources.
This imbalance stems largely from a lack of awareness and options for travelers seeking meaningful, community-based experiences. The question remains: how can we balance tourism’s benefits with its risks to local people and the environment?
For sustainable travel to truly work, it must involve local communities, nature, and multiple stakeholders — ensuring that destinations are not only enjoyed but also protected for future generations.
The Solution
By designing with nature and people in mind, Refield Lab reimagines tourism as a force for ecological and cultural renewal.
Born from expertise in community-based landscape architecture, Refield Lab bridges the gap between people and the land they depend on. Their work—spanning research, landscape planning, and water management—has naturally evolved to include sustainable tourism as part of the ecosystems they help design.
The team emphasizes understanding the land through methods such as mapping and walking, believing these practices reveal how communities interact with their surroundings.
In collaboration with AirAsia Foundation, ChangeFusion, and ENLIVE Foundation, Refield Lab is piloting a sustainable tourism project in Krabi, one of Thailand’s most visited provinces. While Krabi is famous for its beaches and draws more than six million visitors each year, its lesser-known ecotourism sites, conservation areas, and cultural communities also hold immense value.
By promoting sustainable destination practices, Refield Lab’s project empowers locals to manage their livelihoods and natural resources, while giving travelers opportunities to explore responsibly and support community-based tourism.
The Grant with AirAsia Foundation
AirAsia Foundation’s grant enables Refield Lab to design a sustainable destination plan for Krabi, balancing tourism growth with community well-being.
With this funding, the team will:
- Coordinate with local stakeholders to review, collect, and analyze data from selected locations
- Develop a sustainable destination management plan for key areas in Krabi
- Create a sustainable tourism guide to help travelers make informed, responsible choices
Through these efforts, Refield Lab aims to balance environmental protection with community prosperity, setting an example for sustainable tourism across Thailand.
Gallery
The Organisation
Refield Lab
Founded in 2021, Refield Lab is a social enterprise dedicated to using land as a tool for well-being and the preservation of natural resources. The three co-founders, Onkamon Nilanon (Gog), Attana Vasuwattana (Tong), and Nakrob Saithep (Mhee) share a passion for research, landscape ecology, and data-driven design that provides nature-based solutions for the communities they serve.
Their work ranges from design and planning, site study and analysis, to communicating solutions that restore ecosystems. Notable projects include nature-based water management for rural communities and Mapmap Go!, a walking map that encourages people to explore Bangkok Yai District’s heritage landscapes.
Refield Lab believes that landscapes are more than physical spaces, they are living systems shaped by people, culture, and time.
Team Leader
Onkamon Nilanon (Gog)
Onkamon Nilanon (Gog) is a researcher and landscape architect passionate about understanding the intricate relationship between people and nature. Curious about how landscapes evolve, she has spent years studying rural communities and their environments across Thailand.
Before co-founding Refield Lab, Gog worked on numerous projects focusing on rural landscape study and planning, building a solid foundation in sustainable design. Today, she continues to create landscapes that benefit both communities and the ecosystems they depend on.
Social Enterprise
