Environment News
Thailand environment news, climate change, sustainability, and natural disasters—stay updated on eco-initiatives, biodiversity conservation, and renewable energy efforts. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for environmental news in Thailand.
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Water temporarily cleared in Bang Tao Canal, business operators to be checked
PHOTOS: Maann Samran Water in the Bang Tao Canal is now flowing cleaner water thanks to some urgent ‘band aids’ put on the problem this morning. Business operators are now to be checked to find the source of wastewater as well. Earlier today the President of the Cherng Talay OrBorTor Ma’ann Samran admitted that 90% of the businesses in the…
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90% untreated water flowing into Bang Tao canal
90% of business operators and locals are releasing wastewater into the filthy Bang Tao canal. Cherng Talay Tambol Administrative Organisation President Maann Samran says, “There are some hotels, restaurants and locals still releasing wastewater into Bang Tao Canal where it is flowing into the sea.” “Only 10% of them have connected their wastewater pipe into the wastewater treatment plants.” “Today…
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Booking in advance, standardised tours, limited numbers – Maya Bay’s tourism future
“Both Thon and DNP executives emphasised that mass tourism would not be allowed again at Maya Bay.” by Pratch Rujivcanarom Maya Bay’s visitors will have to book in advance for limited day tours once the popular tourist magnet reopens to the public. After an official inspection of the rehabilitation efforts at Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, local marine…
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Rising tide of concern over lifting ban on elephant exports
by Pratch Rujivanarom Animal rights activists, along with a strong voice of disapproval on social media, are complaining about the Commerce Ministry’s plan to legalise the export of live domesticated elephants. Somsak Soonthornnawaphat, head of Thai operations for the organisation World Animal Protection, strongly disapproves of the plan, citing the likelihood of the elephants suffering distress and even agony on…
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Maya Bay’s closure could be further extended – Dr Thon
Maya Bay, closed to the public since last June to allow its beach and coral to recover, will remain shut to visitors for at least another two years as its ecology needs more time to heal. “The director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Tanya Netithammakul will have the final say on whether to reopen the…
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Thailand to re-open the export of elephants after a 10 year ban
After more than ten years with a ban on the export of Thai elephants, Thailand’s Foreign Trade Department is now poised to ease restrictions paving the way for the export of the protected species for ‘non-commercial purposes’. The director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, Mr. Adul Chotenisakorn, says the Ministry of Commerce issued a new regulation on April 10 to…
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Massive corals off Rayong start bleaching
PHOTOS: Thon Thamrongnawasawat Massive and aged corals have started to bleach off the coast of Rayong in the Gulf of Thailand. Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a marine biologist says, “The coral in Rayong has started to bleach. From a bird eye view we can see clearly the white coral around…
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Man arrested for raising protected Red-backed Sea Eagles in Krabi
A man has been arrested for raising three protected Red-backed Sea Eagles in Krabi. Officers from the Thung Thale Wildlife Sanctuary in Krabi arrested 52 year old Nirat Lakthong at his house in Koh Lanta. Officials found the three Red-backed Sea Eagles aged around two months old in a cage near the house. They say that Nirat was raising them before…
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“The water is black and horrible” – Pattaya Beach
PHOTOS: Sophon TV Sophon TV, ever watchful on the state of Pattaya’s beaches, reports that a 2.6 kilometre stretch of the beach in Pattaya was a “filthy mess”. A local operator is blaming the tourists. “From North to South Pattaya the beach is a disgrace”, according to Sophon TV. “The water is black and horrible.” They note that the tide line…
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Greening Bangkok: 100,000 new trees for the city costing 30 million baht
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is planning to spend 30 million baht in planting 100,000 trees this year to increase Bangkok’s green space. The first batch of 50,000 trees requiring 5 million baht would be planted at public parks and state offices. The second batch of 50,000 trees requiring 25 million baht would be planted by 50 district offices on land…
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Maya Bay closed for at least another two years
Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, closed last June to allow coral restoration and beach recovery, will now remain closed to visitors for at least another two years. Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a renowned marine specialist says, “The meeting yesterday concluded that Maya Bay is to be closed for…
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Garbage found inside a dead sea turtle on Kamala beach
PHOTO: Nijut Kamala / Newshawk Phuket Fishing equipment and other rubbish has been found inside a large dead sea turtle on Kamala beach yesterday. Staff from the Phuket Marine Biology Centre at Cape Panwa were notified from locals that the big sea turtle had been washed up on Kamala beach. The turtle was nearly a metre long and weighed about 90…
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Baby dugong rescued in Krabi, taken back to its Trang home – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: DMCR A baby dugong, found on a Krabi beach, has been taken back to its home. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources is reporting that yesterday the dugong was taken back to its home in Trang. “The dugong is aged around two to three years old. It is 120 centimetres long. No wounds were found on the dugong.…
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Chon Buri marine officials take action against Sattahip tour guide – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Go-Eco Phuket The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) officials have made an official report to Sattahip Police in Chon Buri after a video clip of a man, acting as a tour guide pulling up a sea flower where an Anemone Fish was hiding inside for tourists, became viral in social media yesterday. The video clip was posted…
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Coral off Phuket suffering from bleaching
by Thai PBS Corals have started to bleach off the coast of Phuket. The problem is due to the warming of the sea, according to reports from the Phuket-based operations centre of the 2nd National Marine Park. Marine scientists at the centre conducted a survey of coral reefs off Nai Yang beach in the Sirinat national park last Thursday and…
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Mae Hong Son continues to be plagued with fires
Mae Hong Son province continues to be plagued by forest fires despite the ban and the raging haze and smoke problems. In recent months, Mae Hong Son has been struggling with haze most of the time with flights to its airport limited at the height of the crisis. Exposure to the serious air pollution has become a threat to the…
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New fires in the North likely to be arson – Army
by Nathawat Laping Some 1,000 combined professional and volunteer firefighters are battling a major forest fire in the mountainous area overlapping Chiang Mai’s Muang and Mae Chan districts.The fire started on Sunday night in the Doi Jorakhe area of Tambon Tha Sud in Muang before spreading to Tambon Pa Teung in Mae Chan, a densely populated area and home to…
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Hunters injured in Chiang Mai national park shoot-out
Two ethnic Lahu hunters have been injured in a clash with Sri Lanna National Park officials in Chiang Mai over the weekend. The Lahu are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognised by the People’s Republic of China, where about 720,000 live in Yunnan province, mostly in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County. In Thailand, the Lahu are one of the…
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Fix the smoke haze problem in 7 days – PM
“Go and hit the fires with this spade!” The Thai PM in Chiang Mai today by Saksit Muttafa, Krissana Porjit PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the government was ready to support the integration of related agencies’ work to tackle the north’s smoke and haze problem within seven days. Prayut, who visited Chiang Mai today, also said HM the King was concerned about…
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Alarmingly high PM2.5 levels found in Chiang Mai, INSIDE a safety zone building
A Chiang Mai air-pollution safe zone proved to be not that ‘safe’ according to a medical lecturer. The level of PM2.5 very fine particles was found to be very high INSIDE the designated area. But the problem was soon resolved later in the day. Dr Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, a lecturer in medicine at Chiang Mai University, posted a picture of him…
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Polystyrene containers ditched by Southern province
by Somchai Samart You would expect the Capital to lead the way. But this time it’s one of Thailand’s southern provinces showing the way forward with one of Thailand’s biggest disposable waste problems. Songkhla in Thailand’s south, is now well on the way to establishing itself as a foam container-free city as green trends continue to grow. During the past…
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Sea turtle dies after getting tangled in a fishing net – Prachuap Khiri Khan
PHOTOS: The Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand A series of photos that convey everything we should be concerned about in Thailand’s marine ecology. A Green Sea Turtle, tangled in a fishing net, has been washed up on a beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources reports that they were notified that a dead sea…
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Chiang Mai ‘s tourism holds up despite smoke and smog
by Siriarpa Kamjan, ttgasia.com Chiang Mai’s current poor air quality and smoke haze is raising concerns on the potential impact on tourism as Thailand’s Songkran water festival approaches. Smog has been a yearly occurrence in Northern Thailand, but this year the situation appears to be the worst with Chiang Mai topping the air pollution ranking and the media tracking daily…
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Hazardous: Chiang Mai again leads the world in air pollution
Chiang Mai is back on top of the world’s list of most air-polluted cities, according to the AirVisual.com website. AirVisual reports at 1.45pm that the air quality index (AQI) of Chiang Mai on Saturday stands at 471 (##!!??!!) , much higher than the 100 AQI safety standard (the WHO lists the safety limit as 50 on the AQI scale). It’s…
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Haze and poor visibility grounds morning flights into Mae Hong Son
Poor visibility from local smoke haze and smog has forced Bangkok Airways to cancel flights between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son until at least this Saturday. Mae Hong Son in the far north-west of Thailand, on the Myanmar border. The airline says poor visibility is a result of forest fires. It has cancelled at least 10 flights because of…
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Forecast for poor air quality returning to Bangkok
Smog, smoke and haze problems have returned to the capital and its neighboring provinces. Nine areas were found to contain levels exceeding the 50-micron safety level yesterday. Blaming the poor air quality on weak low-altitude air flow, the pollution control department predicts that the situation might further deteriorate. The department pleaded for cooperation from members of the public by not burning anything in open areas and…
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Shoppers said ‘no’ to 237 million plastic bags at 7-11 in three months
More than 237 million plastic bags have been left unused at Thailand’s 7-eleven stores in the past three months – valued at more than 47 million baht. But the media release from CP All, the local franchise owners of 7-eleven, doesn’t announce how many plastic bags were actually used during the same period. The sole operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores…
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Air quality for Thailand – March 7
Central Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Northern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to…
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Thailand to ban import of plastic waste
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is proposing to the Thai cabinet a total ban on the import of plastic waste into Thailand. The ban would start in 2020. Thai PBS reports that the Natural Resources and Environment Minister Gen Surasak Karnjanarat says, that as imports of plastic waste are to end next year, Thailand will increase recycling of…
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Air quality for Thailand – March 5
Central Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Northern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to…
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