Thailand to increase green areas by 40 percent in next 20 years

[webfact]

Thailand to increase green areas by 40 percent in next 20 years

 

BANGKOK, 31 March 2017 (NNT) – Thailand plans to create forests in urban areas to help absorb air pollution and build more green offices. 

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Permanent Secretary Wijarn Simachaya said in a seminar on topic of forests in cities and sustainability that the ministry is now pursuing its 20-year plan to increase green areas in the country by 40 percent, compared to 32 percent at present. 

He said the MNRE is encouraging the creation of forest in cities complementing the green areas in the country, which will help absorb air pollution in big cities, while Bangkok has had substandard green areas. 

With a ration of three square meters of green area per capita, Thailand ranks below its neighbors such as Singapore which has 66 square meters of green area per capita, and Malaysia which has 44 square meters. 

Department of Environment Quality Promotion Director-General Sakol Tinagul has said all sides should join hands to increase green areas, starting from small sectors such as households, communities, and organizations which can plant more trees, and create green offices with trees which can provide shade and moisture to the city.

 

-- nnt 2017-03-31

[leeneeds]

A tariff on each condo  or house of 1 tree purchased for every 10 sqm of concrete,

most would not baulk at such a tariff , capped at 10,000 baht

 

 

[yellowboat]

Elephants eat the grass that keeps trees from sprouting and that digested grass is converted into soil.  They know which tree species to plant, how long it takes them grow and when the animals to a deforested area.  They just do not want to use elephants because many Thai farmers see them as pests, but they are good for forests.   

[wirat69]

?? By 40% or to 40% ????? 

40% of 32% is a better outcome, but the OP is ambiguous!!

[sanukjim]

How? By painting the Bangkok buildings green or allowing The Irish to be issued a Thai ID card and Passport ?

[CGW]

Just a publicity seeking, playing with numbers post! Thailand is still recovering from massive deforestation in the seventies and eighties, I believe about 80% of Thailand is still undeveloped but most of the forests are "new".

Forests in cities, not going to happen!

[Sphere]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

in a seminar on topic of forests in cities and sustainability

 

Singing all the right tunes. 

[Destiny1990]

Parks are great and plants and trees are growing  and are looking much better in Asia than in Europe foreigners appreciate it.Enforce developers to implement more green in their masterplans.example new condominiums most implement mandatory rooftop gardens etc

Edited March 31, 2017 by Destiny1990

[Fallangpakwan]

Bet they will just start painting all the concrete green, and hopefully all the abandoned buildings

[CGW]

Be nice, when they are planting all the city forests if they also build a few car-parks, something they seem to have omitted in just about every Thai city!

Planning and forethought isn't one of there strong points!

[rkidlad]

This is why I live where I live in Bangkok. Not the best area right now as waiting for the BTS, but it's a low rise condo covering a large piece of land. Right in the middle of the condos is a huge garden space. Loads of grass, trees, flowers and plants. You wouldn't even know you're in Bangkok. Also, a great breeze comes through. 

 

Stop knocking up ugly ass shopping malls and take more pride in your city. More parks with green and ponds. Let the trees shelter people from the dreaded sun. Thailand has the perfect climate for this. 

[jak2002003]

I can see this is not realistic or even going to happen.  Even if it creates green spaces in the city.... what about the huge areas of land in the countryside being filled in and converted to housing estates and factories?  A ten percent increase in green areas in the city, will be nothing because of a huge percent conversion of green spaces to building sites out in the country.  This country needs to get a better control of building and construction in both urban and rural areas, unless it wants to loose most of its beautiful countryside to urbanization. 

[Srikcir]

With seven coal-fired power plants planned over the next 10 years, parks and ponds will be meaningless as green zones.

[Seligne2]

I never cease to be amazed by landowners who scrape their holding down to the crappy laterite soil, then put up a "for sale" sign. The property then sits there for years baking in the sun and eroded by the rain. Meanwhile the critters that called it home are dead or dying and the oxygen-giving plants are converted to smoke, CO2, charcoal.

[lust]

20 years. Put someone competent in charge and it could be done in a few weeks.

[little mary sunshine]

Wonderful, more space for trash and garbage!!!

[johng]

When the forest grows back you can hardly see the the trash and garbage...problem solved

[jhonnie]

fingers crossed its gets the nod, labour could be sourced from the unfortunates who fall victim to substance abuse and the program incorporated into their rehab and sentencing, they could call it the Green Scheme, seriously

[Redline]

And all the trash on land, in the water, all the signs everywhere, the lack of vehicle emissions checks, no enforcement of the laws, trash dumps on the sides of the roads, no enforcement of sewage and chemical releases (ok, a little bit of enforcement here)...

[Redline]

9 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

I can see this is not realistic or even going to happen.  Even if it creates green spaces in the city.... what about the huge areas of land in the countryside being filled in and converted to housing estates and factories?  A ten percent increase in green areas in the city, will be nothing because of a huge percent conversion of green spaces to building sites out in the country.  This country needs to get a better control of building and construction in both urban and rural areas, unless it wants to loose most of its beautiful countryside to urbanization. 

The mountainsides being cleared