Thailand's Water Panel Plans 1M-Rai Reforestation Project

[webfact]

Water panel plans 1m-rai reforestation project
Jeerapong Prasertpolkrung
The Nation


Plodprasop Suraswadi

BANGKOK: -- The Water and Flood Management Commission (WFMC) plans to propose a 1-million-rai, Bt10.142-billion reforestation project for Cabinet consideration on April 9.

After the WFMC meeting yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and commission chair Plodprasop Suraswadi said the panel approved a master plan to rehabilitate and conserve forests and ecosystems in 25 river basins by growing trees on one million rai of land. It also agreed to establish an administrative office for the reforestation project with two national-level committees.

Firstly, an executive and policymaking committee chaired by Plodprasop, and secondly a project-management committee chaired by Prime Minister's Office Minister Nivatthamrong Boonsongpaisal.

A ministry-level committee for project management (overseen by the Interior Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry) and another committee to follow through and assess project results in the provinces were also planned, Plodprasop said.

Aimed at increasing forestland, preventing soil erosion and boosting the land's capacity to absorb and retain rainwater, thereby slowing down flooding, the five-year project (2013-2017) would grow trees on 200,000 rai of land per year and needed a budget of Bt2 billion a year, Plodprasop said.

Plodprasop said the project wouldn't overlap with projects by the Royal Forestry Department and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants because the two agencies focused on deteriorated forests in forest reserves and national parks, while the WFMC project would focus on river-basin forestland, coastal forestland and river-mouth areas.


-- The Nation 2013-04-05

[chainarong]

More talk, fifty percent action, dwindling to zero percent next year.

[jonclark]

Yet with the other hand they are planning to build a dam in the middle of the Mae Wong National Park, which part of the Great Western forest complex, vital for the survival of wild Tigers, Elephants, Tapirs and many other Endangered or Critically endangered flora and funa and also a UNESCO world heritage sites.

[LuckyLew]

How about they stop developing existing deforestation in places like Kho Yai ?

Would save them money not having to reforest other areas ...

Wait ... no money to be made in my silly idea

[zakk9]

They won't give up until the last tree has fallen

[slapout]

You have to give this man credit, he thinks in large numbers. Guess that is how he accumulated more wealth, than any other cabinet/government salaried member, in his lifes work as a civil servant.

[jonclark]

They won't give up until the last tree has fallen

We're seeing the real life version of "The Lorax' being played out in front of our eyes. And our arrogance blinds us to the truths we teach our children.

Only when the last truffla tree has been chopped with our thirst for sneeds be quenched and our lifestyles will collapse.

Easter Island all over again, but on a larger scale.

[Ricardo]

Didn't they do another 200,000 Rai last year, as part of the flood-prevention work, as well ?

One looks forward to seeing the pictures, of both those and the new forests, wonder who's supplying the saplings ?

[XINLOI]

Sounds like a good idea to me but what about the timber thieves that will undoubtably steal all they can carry, let alone the locals that cut down every tree, to sell for making charcoal and getting 20B. In my area all the trees have been cut (stolen) because of other crop failures. Are these politicians really thinking and going to act or just spouting words like everywhere else?

[timewilltell]

Meanwhile in Phuket all the Hi-So's and politicians have been busy scamming the country of its forestry land and the investigation has been sidelined. Scumbags stealing from - now who is it that owns all that forestry land??

[wilcopops]

When you hear the expression "reforestation" BEWARE!! - be afraid, be very afraid -

It seldom means anything good or green...it is usually a smoke screen for demolishing (or "harvesting") virgin rainforest. A functioning rainforest has thousands of different flora and faun=a and simply planting a few trees will NEVER replace the lost ecosystem. It will line the pockets of a few timber merchants and their friends though.

It seems K. Plodprasop is the nemesis of everything green in Thailand; the dam won't do what it's meant to do, it WILL impact on the Tiger population of the North west forest region.

but why would K. Plodprasop be concerned? He already stand accused of illegally exporting tigers to China - he obviously wants to clear Thailand of the beasts.

Edited June 9, 2013 by wilcopops

[moe666]

Why not stop these hill tribe people here in the north from burning and then clear cutting the forest. Every time I ride my motor bike thru an area after one year there is more open are for planting. Now they are clearing area along the 1095 that were forest 2 years ago.

[ratcatcher]

You have to give this man credit, he thinks in large numbers. Guess that is how he accumulated more wealth, than any other cabinet/government salaried member, in his lifes work as a civil servant.

This man is neither civil nor anybody's servant. Thank you!

[Robby nz]

Yes indeed, after flooding many thousands of rai of forest land when we build dams and forcing people off their land with other dams we will then force other people off their land to plant new forests.

All the people who have been forced off their land with these wonderful actions will then go and chop down forest elsewhere in order to get more land.

However this will have a great benefit to those involved as there will be money to be skimmed off along the way.

[wilcopops]

Why not stop these hill tribe people here in the north from burning and then clear cutting the forest. Every time I ride my motor bike thru an area after one year there is more open are for planting. Now they are clearing area along the 1095 that were forest 2 years ago.

You might want to ask yourself WHY those people are there in the first place, and also consider how the Thai authorities have deliberately obstructed efforts to have them resettled.

[Thai at Heart]

Well there is a simple way to reclaim a lot of Sor Por Gor land.