Minister Dapong asked to reconsider plan to chop down all rubber trees in seized plantations



BANGKOK: -- Small-scale rubber plantation owners will plead with Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dapong Rattanasuwan to review the ministry’s plan to chop down all rubber trees from rubber plantations which have encroached on forest reserves.

The ministry has wrestled back 1.5 million rai of rubber plantations from encroachers out of a total of 4.4 million rai which have encroached on forest reserves and an addition of 1.6 million rai in watershed areas. It plans to chop down all rubber trees in 1.5 million rai within two years.

Mr UthaI Sornlaksap, president of Farmers Federation of Thailand, said that if all the rubber trees are felled, about 50,000 household of rubber planters would be hard hit because they would be deprived of a means to make a living.

He claimed that many of them had been settling in the forest reserves and transforming the land into rubber plantations even before they were declared forest reserves or watershed areas.

He pointed out that wiping out rubber trees and the reforesting the empty land would not work because this would require a lot of budget and the newly-reforested areas are vulnerable to forest fires.

He suggested that the ministry allow the rubber farmers to remain in the seized rubber plantations under the condition that the farmers will have to plant other crops in the plantations such as rattan and herbs.

As for the big-scale plantations, he said that the seized plantations should be leased to the plantation owners.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/minister-dapong-asked-to-reconsider-plan-to-chop-down-all-rubber-trees-in-seized-plantations


-- Thai PBS 2015-06-04

Whats the point of seizing the plantations if they don't cut the trees down ,

cut them down and reforest with native species,as it was before the encroachment.

They break the law,and want to carry on as though nothing happened.

the allegedly small farmers are most likely just taking care of the plantations,

for rich and influential people.

regards worgeordie

Give them the axe.

Follow the money!

[...] newly-reforested areas are vulnerable to forest fires

What a subtle threat.

Where is all the wood going to after they chopped the trees. Who owns the trucking companies to bring it to the next wood dealer? I think I would not reconsider anything if I knew the answers.

Good idea leased to the plantation owners.

The land lord lose the land but poor farmers can continue to make a living.