Spotlight on Multidimensional Drivers of Forests in Thailand

A number of common drivers account for the majority of forest changes taking place although they differ across the lower Mekong countries. In Thailand, principal drivers are illegal logging , government resettlement policies, expansion of commercial agricultural and forestry plantations, forest encroachment, forest conversion for economic development and urban expansion, infrastructure, shrimp farming, mining, and forest fires.[1]

Many trees have been felled in an encroachment of forest on the Sankalakhiri mountain in Chanae district of Narathiwat province. (Photo by Waedao Harai; Source: The Bangkok Post)

According to FAO statistics, forest cover in Thailand stood at 16.4 million hectares in 2016, or roughly 32% of total land area — a slight decline from about 17 million hectares in 2000. This represents a lower recent rate of deforestation compared to other Mekong countries, and Thailand reports growth in total forest cover since 2010 as shown in the visualisation below.[2]

Forest covers in the Mekong region from 2000–2015 (unit: 1000 ha)[3]

Global Forest Watch’s analysis shows that Thailand’s tree cover loss for the period of 2001 to 2012 was concentrated in the South, especially in Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Songkhla provinces while tree cover gain seems primarily to have been concentrated in the Northeast.[4]

Thailand Total Forest Loss (2000–2018)[5]

Thailand’s forests are governed under a system of laws and policies that has evolved over the past few decades to place a greater emphasis on conservation and sustainable management. Though challenges of implementation, participation, and community usage rights persist, governance can be considered a positive factor in Thai forest health.[6]

Timeline of Relevant Forestry Laws and Policies in Thailand (Click to see full timeline)

For nearly two decades before passing in early 2019, the Community Forestry Act B.E. 2562 (2019) has facilitated local participation and a strong civil society sector to attain land tenure and resource rights in the form of community-managed forests. Although the government has instituted some policies in recent years to recognise land-rights of smallholder farmers, there remains a contradiction in many places in terms of a location that is considered a “forest” in law, but is in practice used for smallholder agriculture.[7]

Registered Villages under Thailand’s Community Forest Project (2000-Present)[8]

Disclaimer: This article is the author’s opinion and samples of data visualisation as an output from participating in the Data Literacy Training Program in Cambodia. If there is any mistake in this article, the author would like to make apologies and is willing to make a correction upon received feedback.

Sources:

[1] John Costenbader, et. al. USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF). 2015. Drivers of Forest Change in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Accessed June, 2020.

[2] Open Development Thailand. 2019. Forests and Forestry. Accessed June, 2020.

[3] FAOStat. Forest covers in the Mekong region from 2000–2015. Accessed June, 2020.

[4],[5] Global Forest Watch. “Dataset: Thailand.” Accessed June, 2020.

[6] Open Development Thailand. Forestry Policy and Administration. Accessed June, 2020.

[7] EU FLEGT Facility. 2011. “Baseline Study 5, Thailand: Overview of Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade.” Accessed June, 2020.

[8] RECOFTC. 2020. Registered villages under Thailand’s Community Forest Program. Data collected and used for the training purpose only. Accessed June, 2020.