Park dept revives watershed areas

BANGKOK, Sept 8 (TNA) - The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation have rehabilitated deteriorated forestland in the national parks, demonstrating “Sri Lanna” project as a model for other parks nationwide. Director of the National Park Office, Songtham Suksawang led officials to Sri Lanna national park in Chiang Mai to follow up the reforestation work in the ongoing project to regain the country’s forest areas to improve quality of life of hill tribe people and preserve the watershed areas. The agency plans to extend forest reserve to 25 per cent of the country’s areas in the next nine years with participation of all sectors. Last year, he said the agency reclaimed 140,000rai of forest land and another 60,000 rai this year so far. It targets for another 107,000 rai for the whole year. According to the official, before the success in forest reclamation programme started last year, about 3.5 million rai or seven per cent of all 44 million rai in 150 national parks across the country have been deteriorated to non-forest areas. (TNA)