Deforestation woes have their roots in money

COMMENTARY

Deforestation woes have their roots in money

Published: 12 Dec 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

With our country's forests dwindling dangerously, it has become common to hear forest bosses talking about themselves as heroic guardians.

Every time I hear such talk, I feel sick to my stomach.

Their narratives are always the same. The big enemy are the villagers who endlessly encroach on forests and mountainous areas. Scarce budgets and personnel are always cited to legitimise their failure to do their jobs.

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bucktoui
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Discussion 7 : 13 Dec 2012 at 03.327
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Don't worry these greedy people are moving their operation to Laos as we speak, but if we urged them to move the whole operation to Laos, we will solve their greed problems and save Thailand's forest.
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dao
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Discussion 6 : 12 Dec 2012 at 13.536
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Reforestation happens in many countries .Smart countries replant .Smarter countries replant trees that produce .Palm oil is a useless crop .There are so many varieties of trees that can be planted .Issan could be a producing forest instead of a barren wasteland that barely produces one crop a year of rice and then left to bake for the rest of the year under the sun .
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lungstib
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Discussion 5 : 12 Dec 2012 at 13.315
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The Forest Industry organisation was one of the early attempts by government to 'use' the Thai forests. 70 years on little has changed and successive governments have viewed forests as a place to make money. Villagers, the 'little people' do not exist in this equation.
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tamsin
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Discussion 4 : 12 Dec 2012 at 12.024
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I am well aware that this has been going on for decades, but when a newly elected Prime Minister retorted that the encroachment by yet another resort here in the South would 'provide jobs for the locals, things are going to get much much worse. Welcome to your concrete jungle Thailand.
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Eric
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Discussion 3 : 12 Dec 2012 at 09.073
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Being in the timber business for most of my adult life, I seen the pilferage and the destruction of pristine forests in all Asian countries being wipe out due to lax enforcements and corruptions. Thailand just 50 years ago was renowned for her Teak forest but alas, most are gone leaving only small areas of forest reserves. As we speak, forests are still being emptied for palm oil in Indonesia and East Malaysia. The only way to stop the destruction is for strict laws and enforcement, coupled with education by the government with participation of NGOs. Technology can also play a part like chip implanted in trees and satellite surveillance.
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bennu
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Discussion 2 : 12 Dec 2012 at 03.532
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While government practices have led to erosion and deforestation of important watersheds, in the north the (hill)tribes practising rotating or shifting agriculture, have been acknowledged as models in sustainable agriculture and resource conservation.
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ploydonut
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Discussion 1 : 12 Dec 2012 at 03.041
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I am think 83 million rai of trees is very big. If each Thai person is given 1 rai, then it solve problem for all poor people who not have land, and can use wood from tree to make the house, and still have tree on the land for grow vegetable to eat. Better than do nothing with all that land.
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Deforestation woes have their roots in money | Bangkok Post: opinion