Illegal loggers target Khao Ang Ru Nai

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Illegal loggers target Khao Ang Ru Nai
Tanpisit Lerdbumrungchai
The Nation


Children take part in efforts to create manmade mineral licks inside the Khao Ang Ru Nai Wildlife Sanctuary.

Wildlife sanctuary in eastern region threatened by deforestation

BANGKOK: -- DEFORESTATION is threatening a wildlife sanctuary that is not just the most abundant forest zone in Thailand's eastern region but also home to more than a third of the country's wild animals.

The Khao Ang Ru Nai sanctuary spans border zones along five provinces, namely Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Sa Kaew.

"We have just 172 forestry officials to protect the forest zone that covers around 683,750 rai. It is now facing threats from various illegal logging groups," Khao Ang Ru Nai chief Sermphan Sariman said over the weekend.

He is most worried about the illegal loggers targeting Siamese Rosewood, which fetches a significant price in the market.

Sermphan said his office had detected 82 illegal logging cases this year alone. As many as 112 suspects had been arrested with logs as well as processed wood boards seized during the past 10 months. Over the same period, one suspect died during a fight with arresting officials.

Sermphan said some suspects were people who lived in the zone before it was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1992.

"They are familiar with the area," he said.

He added that there were investors hiring henchmen to cut down trees in Khao Ang Ru Nai Wildlife Sanctuary too. This zone is in the headwaters of the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao, the Tanod Canal in Chanthaburi and the Prasae River in Rayong.

Amnuay Artchula, a PR official at the sanctuary, said her office had tried to counter illegal logging by educating children about the need to protect natural resources.

"It's easier to let children speak to their parents. If children see someone hire their parents to illegally cut down trees, they can always speak up," she said.

In addition to these battles against illegal logging, Sermphan said a plan was also needed for the growing elephant population at Khao Ang Ru Nai Wildlife Sanctuary.

"There are more than 400 wild elephants here now. Each needs around an area of six to seven square kilometres to rummage for food," he pointed out.

Dr Trirach Pukotchasarnseen, who heads the Foundation for Environmental Education for Sustainable Development (Thailand), recommended creating mineral licks for wild animals.

"These manmade mineral licks could help retain the abundance and proper ecosystems in the long run," he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Illegal-loggers-target-Khao-Ang-Ru-Nai-30246811.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-03

[Robby nz]

The stupidity of throwing the people out of these areas who have lived there for generations is highlighted in this story.

These people who have no money, no place to live and in some cases no Thai citizenship are ripe for exploitation by illegal loggers. They know the forests, where the most valuable timber is and they now hate the establishment for depriving them of a home.

They will also go back into the forest to gather wild orchids and valuable herbs they can sell and to poach wildlife, anything they can sell to make a living for the forest as it is all they know.

They talk of a shortage of rangers, if these people who have been evicted and are still being evicted were taken in and trained as rangers and other park staff they would have been given an income as friends of the forests and now they have been thrown out they have been turned into enemies.

If their villages within the forest had been turned into nurseries for rare trees, orchid houses built to propagate wild orchids, mushroom rearing facilities built, then what is produced sold with a proportion going back into reforestation then whole families would have been given gainful employment and money.

Schools and health care facilities built for happy healthy educated people.

But no kick them out, then those on the bottom rung of the illegal activities will be caught and jailed leaving families destitute with no bread winner.

Another fail by those in suits who like to think of the poor as stupid.

Todays rant complete, off to the river for a fish.

Edited November 2, 2014 by Robby nz

[thesetat2013]

The stupidity of throwing the people out of these areas who have lived there for generations is highlighted in this story.

These people who have no money, no place to live and in some cases no Thai citizenship are ripe for exploitation by illegal loggers. They know the forests, where the most valuable timber is and they now hate the establishment for depriving them of a home.

They will also go back into the forest to gather wild orchids and valuable herbs they can sell and to poach wildlife, anything they can sell to make a living for the forest as it is all they know.

They talk of a shortage of rangers, if these people who have been evicted and are still being evicted were taken in and trained as rangers and other park staff they would have been given an income as friends of the forests and now they have been thrown out they have been turned into enemies.

If their villages within the forest had been turned into nurseries for rare trees, orchid houses built to propagate wild orchids, mushroom rearing facilities built, then what is produced sold with a proportion going back into reforestation then whole families would have been given gainful employment and money.

Schools and health care facilities built for happy healthy educated people.

But no kick them out, then those on the bottom rung of the illegal activities will be caught and jailed leaving families destitute with no bread winner.

Another fail by those in suits who like to think of the poor as stupid.

Todays rant complete, off to the river for a fish.

Are you new to Thailand?

You talk of if's and maybe's but if you know Thailand they focus on the now and tomorrow... Not next year or 5 years from now. Surely they could not possibly have the foresight you have mentioned.

It is sad to say you are correct in most of your post. But it is sadder still that Thailand has not prosecuted any of the politicians caught with this wood. Nor have they arrested any of the masterminds of the gangs which try to cut down this wood.

Instead they go after the small guy and hope it is enough.

[trainman34014]

They see no further than the next buck and care not one jot for the environment. The rich will always find the poor to do their dirty work for a few hundred Baht and when all the forests are gone they will blame people from Lao, Burma, Cambodia and anywhere else on the Planet rather than own up themselves, as they live in constant denial. No Government will ever stop it because people inside said Government's are involved themselves and by the time the country is a barren landscape they will all be retired or dead and the money will remain in their family's. There is no thought for the future beyond today other than MONEY !!

[sprq]

A job for the army, that'll sort 'em out! Oh, wait a minute, it's usually the army that runs the illegal logging...

[Robby nz]

A job for the army, that'll sort 'em out! Oh, wait a minute, it's usually the army that runs the illegal logging...

Please post your proof of that.

You may not have noticed but since the army has taken over they have combined with (forced) the police to actually catch a fair number of illegal loggers, certainly far more than were ever caught under the previous administration.

Oh, I can post proof of what I write so up to you. And there are plenty more where those came from.

BANGKOK, July 4 -- Thai Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) personnel along with army and police personnel early Friday impounded the assets of suspected Siamese rosewood smugglers to Thailand’s neighbouring countries.

BANGKOK: -- About 3,700 wooden planks worth two million baht were found in the compound of the house of a wellknown kamnan in Phetchabun province by a combined force of the army, police, forestry and local administration officials today (Wednesday).

More rosewood seizures in the far Northeast

The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Bueng Kan police and troops arrested two young men yesterday who were transporting 67 pieces of protected Siameserosewood, worth Bt5 million, to a pier in Muang district for export to Laos.

[ratcatcher]

Illegal loggers target Khao Ang Ru Nai Using these.

SOLUTION

Army targets illegal loggers . Using these.

[Robby nz]

Are you new to Thailand?

You talk of if's and maybe's but if you know Thailand they focus on the now and tomorrow... Not next year or 5 years from now. Surely they could not possibly have the foresight you have mentioned.

It is sad to say you are correct in most of your post. But it is sadder still that Thailand has not prosecuted any of the politicians caught with this wood. Nor have they arrested any of the masterminds of the gangs which try to cut down this wood.

Instead they go after the small guy and hope it is enough.

Yes I am quite new only been here just under 10 years or is that over now, go have a look at when I first joined this site.

As one of the 'all Thais are' silly buggers who think they know everything about the place I suspect you will have some great ideas of how things should be done so please post them.

I wonder what you know of forests in Thailand or anywhere for that matter you might like to tell us.

As for no politicians caught well they are getting close, try the son of a PT party leader and cabinet minister no less, although it isn't going to be easy to arrest either the son or the father for :

Dr Charuwong was not at the resort and was believed to have escaped overseas while Mr Charupong is also living in exile abroad.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/750155-huge-haul-of-illegal-timber-found-in-the-resort-of-charupong-ruangsuwans-son/

BANGKOK: -- About 300 golden teak planks wrapped in plastic sheets were found buried in the resort in Mae Hong son province owned by the son of former PheuThai party leader and interior minister Charupong Ruangsuwan.

[timber]

Good use of drone photography. Can GPS inprint the frames.

[namdocmai]

The Thai want more quality tourists, well this is a good chance to get them.

Protect the jungle and make it a main tourist attraction. Plant some extinct fruittree's back which monkeys and birds like to eat (and humans as well), make nice basic jungleresorts next to a waterfall or river, let those native people be tourist guides, teach the visitors about the medicinal effects of many plants, let them eat fruits from the forrest and so on.

It is the same with the coral reefs who can attract loads of divers/snorklers tourists on koh Tsao.

Personally i have been snorkling on koh tsao but it was far to crowded in the water. I also have been in the jungle in Chiang mai but it was not as spectacular as i thought it would be.

Tourists don't come to Thailand to see big malls, they also have them at home. But natural resources as real wildlife, jungle, coral reefs they don't have at home and will pay big money to see it.