Care needed with Thai biodiversity
Tanpisit Lerdbamrungchai
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Thais take too much from their country's bio-diversity - plants, animals and micro-organisms - and ignore limits in the process, a Thailand Environment Institute adviser warned yesterday.

"Such ignorance has led to degradation and the loss of diversity," Prof Sanit Aksornkoae said at the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT). The session aimed to gather opinions for drafting a strategy for research on bio-diversity up to 2016.

The World Bank has put the economic value from the use of Thai bio-diversity at between Bt75 billion and Bt300 billion annually.

"It's necessary that Thailand urgently take concrete measures to stop the excessive or wasteful use of biological resources," Sanit said.

He pointed out that while all parts of a tree could be used, some people exploiting them use just some parts. Rare plants were also being uprooted by people who did not understand the plants' real value, he said.

Dr Aparat Mahakhant, a researcher at the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, recommended the distribution of knowledge to locals in easy-to-understand language.

"To society, researchers and academics are unable to communicate well. We are seen as failing to put our messages across. So, we have to improve ourselves on this point too," she said.

She said Facebook could be an effective means to reach out to a wide audience. Aparat believes in the potential of local villages in protecting bio-diversity if they were given knowledge, including legal information.

NRCT secretary-general Soottiporn Chittmittrapap said the government was now seeking to develop efficient management of natural resources that would be in line with local wisdom and culture.

"All stakeholders should join hands in researching bio-diversity and the application of their findings," he said.


-- The Nation 2013-05-22

The villagers wont protect anything, except maybe protecting it from other villagers, if its worth money.

Facebook? I can just picture, everyone sitting around in the village, drinking whisky, and looking at facebook. What about school, or did they give up on school already?

Thais care about two things ... money and themselves

As for anything else ... they do not give a toss

If it becomes protected all that means to a Thai is it is now worth more money

The Bangkok generation has chosen Technology over environmental substance, therefore more electrical energy is required to satisfy their needs...

A good and positive step. You have to acknowledge the treasures that are being destroyed before protecting them.

Now that true economic value is proving that natural diverse land has $$$$$$. People are waking up.

There exists a nice little metaphor that I was told many years ago by a THAI (!!!) economics professor:

There's a pond brimming with fish.

The Laotian casts out his net, examines the catch, selects as many fish as he needs for his next meal and throws all the rest back into the pond, so it also will yield enough for many more meals to come.

The Chinese casts out his net, examines the catch, selects as many fish as he needs for his next meal and a number more to sell in the market. But he is careful to especially not touch the smallfry and tosses it back into the pond to ensure the stocks will not deplete.

The Thai casts out his net, drags the catch on land and takes EVERYTHING regardless of size. He sets aside some of the fish for his next meal and sells all the rest in the market. He does this every day. Eventually, the cast-out net comes up completely empty - and then the big lamenting starts.

Well she was being half honest

"To society, researchers and academics are unable to communicate well.
We are seen as failing to put our messages across. So, we have to
improve ourselves on this point too," she said."

Now if Academics could just understand the real world. It would help. It is easy to read a book and go to lectures about it but if you don't get out in the real world and see with your own eyes all the ramification's they will never be able to communicate with the people.

Well she was being half honest

"To society, researchers and academics are unable to communicate well.

We are seen as failing to put our messages across. So, we have to

improve ourselves on this point too," she said."

Now if Academics could just understand the real world. It would help. It is easy to read a book and go to lectures about it but if you don't get out in the real world and see with your own eyes all the ramification's they will never be able to communicate with the people.

And in addition to that, if these people hold their noses high, and brag about their degrees as if they are smart, we have real stubborn, FACE savvy, old fashioned a$$holes to deal with, who know nothing about social behavior...

Thailand has plenty of reds and yellows and even blacks but greens seem to be in very short supply..

It is dangerous to stand out as being green in many countries especially countries like Brasil and Thailand . To stand in front of a bulldozer that is driven by money,greed and self interest will only result in one thing until there are so many standing up for envirionment the greedy's can't possibly bulldoze all the greenies.

Wasn't there talk from guess who of doing away with environmental protection laws that might hinder the flood control work?