Thailand’s park department concerns over forest conservation bills

Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) raised serious concerns over two proposed bills aimed at protecting indigenous people’s land rights. The department argues these bills could significantly undermine forest conservation efforts across the country.

DNP Chief Attapol Charoenshunsa stated that, if passed, the bills put forward by the civil rights group P-Move and the Ministry of Culture would transfer protected land to individuals he referred to as forest encroachers and capitalists.

Attapol commented, specifically criticising P-Move’s bill.

“The bills will also encourage further encroachment into protected forest areas.”

This bill seeks to grant amnesty to individuals convicted under several forest and environmental laws, allowing them to remain on the land until their legal right to do so is verified.

From 2015 to today, the DNP documented 13,760 cases of forest encroachment involving 2,718 offenders, covering 180,002.71 rai of encroached land. Additionally, the department reported 1,140 instances of forest burning and 9,713 illegal logging cases during this period.

The bill proposed by the Ministry of Culture aims to protect and promote the heritage of ethnic indigenous peoples, including the safeguarding of hill groups’ spiritual sites. If enacted, the bill would involve community members collaborating with local government officials to designate sacred and culturally significant areas that would be exempt from forest protection laws.

A DNP source highlighted that this bill could undermine conservation efforts by granting ethnic committees the power to designate any area, even protected forest reserves, as sacred sites. The source stressed the importance of careful scrutiny, as forest preservation, animal hunting, and burning laws would not apply in these designated areas.

These two bills will effectively curb the ability of forest conservationists to protect the interests of the general public, who are the ultimate owners as the source stated, noting that current national park laws were designed to maintain harmonious living conditions and have allowed people to coexist in protected forest areas.

The department remains firm in its stance that any legal changes should not compromise the nation’s forest conservation and preservation objectives, reported Bangkok Post.