Sitting in an air-conditioned room is not helping 60 young students cool down as they get involved in a fiery debate over the critical topic of forests and water.
"The ongoing drought and the potential water shortage are all related to forest areas declining at an alarming speed the world over, including Thailand," Siraphat Phattarabenjapol, a Grade 11 student of Panyarat High School in Bang Rak district of Bangkok, said as her affirmative team took to the floor in a debate held to mark International Day of Forests on March 21.
"The forest-water relationship is complex and closely tied to rainfall patterns, types of vegetation grown and water management effectiveness, not just the absence of forests," a team from Mahidol International Demonstration School representing the negative side said to oppose the affirmative team's statement.
The debate was co-organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Centre for People and Forests (RECOFTC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as part of global activities to raise awareness among the young of how forests are key to fresh water supplies. At the time, drought problems were badly affecting Thailand which was witnessing dwindling availability of water and other natural resources.
A member of the negative team from Mahidol International Demonstration School defends the statement 'Forests increase water quantity' made by Panyarat High School.
Experts have noted that the water issue has been at the centre of attention of the public and policy makers in recent years. The underlying challenge for the decision makers was how to the harness the use of water while being able to better mitigate the effects between the extremes of weather such as heavy floods one year and widespread drought the next.
FAO's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific together with RECOFTC and the UNEP have worked since 2014 to organise activities aimed at Bangkok-based high school and university students. Most of the young participants were either members of a debate club or studying at natural resources management faculties.
Schools which participated in this year's event included Panyarat High School, Mahidol University International Demonstration School, Anglo Singapore International School, Garden International School, Traill International School and NIST International School.
Tall trees are a common feature of forest watersheds. Nauvarat Suksamran
Prior to the debate round, each team was assigned to collect information and prepare speeches. They were given around two weeks in which to research the issues related to the topics with their teachers and mentors.
Prior to the competition, Siraphat and her teammates representing Panyarat High School researched information related to the assigned topic of "Forests increase water quantity", one of the issues slated for this year's debate.
Other issues were "Forests consume water so there is less for humans and agriculture"; "Forests reduce the likelihood of flooding"; "Investing in forest restoration decreases the cost of providing clean water to the people".
"It is interesting to learn that many big cities, from San Francisco to Bangkok, depend significantly on water from watershed forests," said Phuttaraksa "Perth" Jintavutipong, from Panyarat School.
"This fact makes me realise that the urban population is more related to the forests than we thought.
"It's why we should responsibly consume water, electricity and other utilities, even the food we eat. Good practice should begin with us. There's no need to wait until you have a chance to grow trees in the forest."
Apart from practicing English language skills, each debate topic enabled the young participants to research and acquire in-depth knowledge about how forests and water sustain lives and livelihoods.
The young participants discussed how forests filter and clean the water, and how deforestation and land degradation are threatening this important function. They discussed a variety of methods that could be utilised to protect both forests and water resources.
"We are reminded every day in the news about the ongoing and intensifying drought, the farmers who are suffering from lack of water for their crops, and even potential water shortages in urban areas," Kundhavi Kadiresan, an FAO regional representative, said in opening the debate.
Forests cover one third of the earth's land mass, performing vital functions around the world. Around 1.6 billion people -- including more than 2,000 indigenous cultures -- depend on forests for their livelihoods, according to the FAO.
Forests are the most biologically-diverse ecosystems on land, home to more than 80% of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects. They also provide shelter, jobs and security for forest-dependent communities.
Despite all of the forests' priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate. An estimated 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed annually. Deforestation also accounts for 12% to 20% of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
In Thailand, forest covers around one-third of the country. The rate of deforestation in Thailand has largely been brought under control and the country has seen a slight increase in forest area in recent years. Nonetheless, there are many areas of highly degraded forests in the country, with resulting landslides and excessive soil erosion taking their toll on communities and crops.
Organising a debate is a practical way to enable the young to understand new scientific information which explains the relationship between forests and water in both temperate and tropical regions, said Patrick Durst, FAO senior forestry officer.
Forest management can have significant impacts on water yield and quality, soil erosion, landslides and water availability for other uses. However, scientific evidence on forest-water relations often runs counter to traditional wisdom and long-held beliefs that have influenced policy-making at both government and community levels, sometimes with negative results.
"Introducing scientific knowledge that sometimes runs counter to conventional wisdom is a challenging but critical process that requires cooperation between forestry practitioners and all related stakeholders," Mr Durst said.
Efforts are needed to narrow the gap between science and common understanding that sometimes is erroneous.
In the case of water management, there is a need for rational evidence-based approaches at all levels. Only in this way can forest and water management policies benefit all, including the rural poor and marginalised living in forest areas, he said.