This paper’s purpose is to diagnose Thailand’sgovernance system for forests which helps to identify thepotential interventions for making the system more effective.The paper combines an extensive review of formal and informalliterature with information from interviews conducted with keyforestry stakeholders in Thailand. This is reflective of the‘engaged’ philosophy underpinning this research, in contrast to aresearch approach in which the expert (drawing ondocumentation or a limited set of stakeholders) is the voice thatdefines and analyses the problem.This paper considers examples of forest governancearrangements from various countries facing comparablechallenges to Thailand as well as legal doctrine, popular mediaand formal literature. This purposeful synthesis seeks tocomprehensively understand the system under examination