This dissertation examined the Karen residing in areas declared to be forest reserves or national parks. This led to changes in the villages, particularly farming. The villagers were obliged to change their slash-and-burn farming practice to cultivation of cash crops. Farmland use was adjusted for more exploitation and they had to change their way of life in order to be able to live in their villages. It was revealed that the villagers had to adapt their lifestyle in order to reside in the national parks. There was a clear difference between villagers in the forest reserves that strictly enforced regulations and those in the reserves that did not strictly enforce regulations. Access to state development programs made the life quality of the two village types different. The adaptation was conducted at the household, village and network levels in order for them to live in the same areas happily. They were formed into a network and coordinated with external agencies more frequently in order to increase their negotiation power. The network acted as a platform to share opinions of villagers and an agency to present and promote their ethnic image, so that the government and Thai people could view the ethnic group in a more positive way.