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Countries Appendix THAILAND (22.8%) Thailand's recent economic development has been achieved at the expense of the environment and country's natural resources. Most of the primary forest is gone, but secondary forest still covers roughly 30% of the land area. The growing middle class is more environmentally aware and wants to protect Thailand's remaining forests; hence there has been nationwide ban on logging since 1988 - following devastating mudslides - and there is protection of existing forest reserves from development and exploitation. In 1991, the government revised the National Forest Policy to set a 40% forest cover target - 25% conservation forest and 15% production forest. This action has caused a decline in Thailand's mining industry which seeks to exploit mineral reserves located in the parks, but no longer can. However, Thailand's remaining forests are far from safe as the country's developing industries require energy and several hydroelectric projects are proposed. Illegal logging is rapidly eliminating Thailand's remaining forests, despite the nationwide ban on rainforest cutting. Logs are routinely felled in Thailand and smuggled into Burma to be exported as Burmese logs or processed logs. The latest FAO figures report that just 22.8% of Thailand is forested, down from 25.62% at the end of 1993. Logging continues under the control of timber barons who pay peasants to harvest teak trees. Left behind from the highly invasive cutting techniques is scrub and wasteland. Attempts by forestry officials to slow cutting have been ineffective because of increasing violence directed towards forestry officials. Villagers have come to depend on income from illegal harvesting and are unwilling to give up their primary source of income. Parks serve as prime harvesting grounds: 30% of Salween National Park has been logged in the last two years. A major setback to conservation efforts is the reputed collaboration between loggers, the military, and politicians. The situation degenerated in 1998 to the point where Thai opposition parties submitted a no confidence motion against the government. Corrupt politicians are said to have business interests in illegal logging and there have been numerous reports implicating senior military men in illegal teak operations. A 150 mile long oil pipeline running from Burma through Sai Yok National Park in Thailand was widely protested for years. Sponsored by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), the pipeline has been criticized by Thais for its possible environmental effects and its ties to Burma. Human rights observers claim the Burmese government (SLORC) has used forced labor to build the pipeline. In late 1997, the government sent in the military to enable PTT to complete the project without intervention from those who opposed the project. Before the Asian recession of the late 1990s, inflated land prices put development pressure on forest lands. Thais Feather Real-Estate Nests . . . . . For current information I highly recommend trying the CIA and FAO links below. CIA-World Factbook Profile FAO-Forestry Profile |
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