Risk Perception and Community Empowerment in Mitigating Risks from Natural and Human-Induced Threats to Quality of Life: A Case Study of Mae Sot District, Tak Province

Abstract

This research aimed to: (1) investigate risk perception and community capacity in disaster management; (2) establish a knowledge management (KM) process and develop community media innovations; and (3) propose community empowerment guidelines in Mae Sot District, Tak Province. A mixed-methods approach and Participatory Action Research (PAR) were employed. Data were collected from 400 residents and 80 key leaders using questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and KM focus group discussions. The findings revealed that the overall risk perception among the public is at a high level (  = 3.51). The top five prioritized threats include floods, haze and air pollution, epidemics, agricultural open burning, and illegal border crossing. Meanwhile, community capacity for disaster management is at a moderate level (  = 3.44) due to constraints in budgeting and geoinformatics skills. Consequently, the researchers developed an innovation consisting of 11 "Little Books" that integrate local wisdom with scientific data and hazard maps. The evaluation showed a high level of satisfaction among the target group (  = 4.01), who found the content highly applicable for practical problem-solving. Policy recommendations focus on three dimensions: (1) information empowerment through accessible media; (2) network integration into local disaster prevention plans; and (3) budgetary support to enhance community technical skills, with the aim of building a sustainable and resilient city.