Thailand to expand forest areas

BANGKOK, September 30 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, plans to increase national forest areas by 26 million rais (2.5 rais = 1 acre) over the next 10 years. Premphimol Phimphan, Deputy Director-General of the ministry's Royal Forest Department, told journalists of the plan on Wednesday, acknowledging that her ministry has reclaimed 93,006 rais of national forests back from illegal rubber tree growers, out of 400,000 rais earlier targeted. Premphimol explained that the mission by both her department and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation was deferred by opposition from local people who claimed they had land right documents and had lived in their areas for a long time, Consequently, the senior official said, the Royal Forest Department has cut the targeted areas to 150,000 rais and the reclamation should finish by the end of this year. Over the past year, both departments' efforts to reclaim forests were three times more effective, compared with the previous rate of 20,000-30,000 rai per year. So far this year, both departments have retrieved more than 100,000 rais, including large-scaled encroachment in Thailand's tourist provinces like Phuket, Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai. Meanwhile, Supoj Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, told reporters that Thailand has a total area of 514,000 square kilometres or about 321 million rais, 102 million rais of which, or only 32 per cent, are forests. According to the senior official, Thailand needs to raise the percentage to 40 per cent to restore ecological balance and, thus, the country must increase the size of its forests by 26 million rais, expected to be completed within ten years. (TNA)