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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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Magnanimous governor accepts blame for Bangkok’s floods
It makes a refreshing change to hear a politician or a man in authority accept the blame for something which isn’t necessarily his fault. The rest of the world should sit up, listen, and take a leaf out of Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt’s book! The magnanimous 56 year old city chief absolved previous Bangkok governors and accepted the blame for…
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Oldest giant male panda on earth dies in Hong Kong
Wildlife lovers have a reason to mourn, now that the oldest giant male panda on earth has died today in Hong Kong. The panda, named An An, was 35 years old when he passed away today at Ocean Park. The giant panda believed to have lived the longest was a female panda who died at 38 years old in 2016.…
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Electric vehicles are now available to rent in Phuket, Thailand
Phuket has entered a new era of sustainability by welcoming the island’s first ever rentable 100% electric vehicle (EV). Tourists can rent the Nissan Leaf from SIXT Thailand and cruise around Phuket without producing any harmful emissions at all. SIXT Thailand partnered with InterContinental Phuket Resort on the project, who have installed a series of EV charging stations compatible with…
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Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay to temporarily close again
Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay – located on Koh Pi Pi Leh in Krabi province – will be off-limits to tourists for the duration of August and September for another period of environmental restoration. The bay, made famous by “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, reopened to tourists on January 1 after a three and a half year closure. All tourist activities…
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Phuket mayor asks public to stop throwing rubbish in canals
Phuket’s city mayor has asked residents in three target areas of the island province’s main city district to stop throwing rubbish in canals. The mayor, Saroj Angkanapilas, said that city officials have been working to solve flooding problems in the areas. He said… “We ask all residents to use the bins that the municipality has available to reduce the amount…
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VIDEO: Rare footage reveals family of tigers feeding on prey in Thailand
Rare footage of a family of wild tigers feeding on prey in Isaan’s Dong Phayayen – Khao Yai Forest Complex has been captured by Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. With only 250 wild tigers estimated to be left in Thailand, the chances of capturing footage of tigers are next to none. The short clip shows a…
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Say no to shark fin, says new WildAid video featuring Miss Universe Thailand
In honour of shark awareness day, WildAid launched a video entitled ‘Sea of Chaos’ to highlight the important role of sharks in the ocean and how the consumption of shark fin is disrupting the ecosystem. The video features activist Maria Poonlertlarp, who is also Miss Universe Thailand 2017, alongside actor Nawat ‘Pong’ Kulrattanarak, who is WildAid’s shark ambassador. In ‘Sea of…
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Where to see tonight’s ‘supermoon’ in Thailand, even in the rain
Today marks the world’s biggest celestial event of the year, with the full moon orbiting at its closest point near the Earth, creating a “supermoon” or “buck moon.” Once the sun goes down tonight in Thailand, the sky will reveal the biggest, brightest moon of the year that can be seen by the naked eye… provided that it isn’t cloudy…
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Bangkok gov’s ’15 Minute Pocket Parks’ set to bloom
Chadchart Sittipunt’s dream of Bangkok being a lean, green, sustainable machine picked up more momentum at the weekend when promoting his “15 Minute Pocket Parks” policy. The Bangkok governor last month invited the public to plant 1 million trees in the metropolis as part of his campaign to make the city greener. Now, the 56 year old intends on expanding…
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Phuket will have a tsunami drill on July 20 following multiple small tremors offshore
There will be a tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket’s Thalang district on July 20 after a number of underwater earthquakes off the Nicobar Islands, some 500 kilometres away, increased residents’ fears of a possible tsunami. Phuket tsunami 506 kilometres away from Thailand’s Andaman coast, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were continuously hit by 4.0 to 4.9 magnitude underwater earthquakes for three…
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Series of earthquakes strike 500km away from Thailand’s Andaman coast
A series of continuous 4.0 – 4.9 magnitude earthquakes struck the Andaman and Nicobar islands for a period of 3 days, 506 kilometres away from Thailand’s Andaman coast. More than 40 tremors occurred, beginning July 4 at 6:00am and continuing until this morning, July 6. The epicentre of the tremors was only 10 kilometres deep, making the chance of a…
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Ukrainian woman caught smuggling 116 live tortoises from Tanzania into Thailand
Police arrested a Ukrainian woman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday after airport security found 116 live tortoises in her luggage. The woman smuggled the protected wildlife on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Bangkok, transiting in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia along the way. Yesterday at 2:40pm, Chief of the Wildlife Checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport Sathon…
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Mangrove tourism project coming to Phuket
One mayor in Phuket is planning a new eco-tourism project involving mangrove forests. Ratsada Mayor Nakarin Yosangrat plans to make mangrove forests in the Tha Chin Canal and Bang Chee Lao area part of a protected nature reserve. The initiative is officially named the Ratsada Green in the City Project. Phuket’s Department of Marine and Coastal Services will also build…
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Cathay Pacific plants 999 mangrove trees in Thailand
Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific has planted 999 mangrove trees in the Khlong Khon Mangrove Forest in Samut Songkram, central Thailand as part of its “1 Ticket, 1 Tree” initiative. The airline launched the initiative last year, committing to planting 1 tree for every plane ticket bought in a one-month period. About 50 volunteers, including Cathay Pacific staff and…
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Giant honey bees swarm home in southern Thailand
A man from Krabi, southern Thailand, was left terrified and thankfully unharmed after tens of thousands of giant honey bees – or Apis dorsata – swarmed his home on Sunday. Thailand’s giant honey bees have been called “the most dangerous stinging insects on earth” by Cornell University apiculturist Roger Morse. Somchai Kaewkasorn, a Department of Highways official, was watching television…
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That sinking feeling – the Maldives is building a new ‘floating’ country
Run out of space? No problem. Just build another room. In the case of an entire country that is sinking into the Indian Ocean, the situation becomes a bit more acute. Technically, the Maldives isn’t sinking, the sea levels are rising and slowly swamping the low-lying Indian Ocean nation, scattered south west of India. The Maldives, a country of some…
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Officials in eastern Thailand scramble to save tree from tourists
Officials in eastern Thailand are scrambling to save a lone tree on a tiny islet off Trat province from tourist destruction. The islet is only a few metres wide, with nothing on it except the tree and its roots. The director of maintenance at Koh Mak Tambon Administrative Organisation, Lertrob Saithongpu, said the wee little islet can only handle 5…
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Artificial reefs placed around Pattaya’s Koh Larn and Koh Sak
Thailand’s authorities are building new homes for Pattaya’s marine critters, hoping to boost coastal tourism. Yesterday, government authorities placed 300 sets of artificial reefs around Koh Larn and Koh Sak, 2 small islands off Pattaya. Pattaya’s Deputy Permanent Secretary, Kiattisak Sriwongchai, said the island’s coral reef had been especially damaged by people walking in them. The artificial reefs are made…
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Pink pineapple is illegal in Thailand, smugglers face jail time
A type of genetically-modified pink pineapple is being illegally sold in Thailand, according to a warning issued by Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture yesterday. The ministry urges the public to keep a vigilant eye out for unusual fruit and report anyone involved in the illicit pink pineapple trade. Costa Rican company Fresh Del Monte has been cultivating ‘Pinkglow’ pineapples, which are…
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Officials raise awareness on World Oceans Day in Patong
A Thai official spoke about threats to the country’s oceans at an event marking World Oceans Day yesterday in Patong. Thailand’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Varawut Silpa-archa, led the event titled “Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean” at Loma Park in Patong Beach. Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Services hosted similar events in 10 coastal provinces. Varawut…
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Phuket conservationists lead beach cleanup after trash washes up from storms
A conservation group in Phuket lead a beach cleanup at Siranart National Park on Friday, as storms have hit the Andaman Sea with large waves that tend to wash up garbage and marine debris on shores. The event, organised by the Andaman Natural Resources Foundation, was titled Big Cleaning Day 10. Other government agencies and private organisations, as well as…
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Governor to drain the swamp with Bangkok’s criminal fraternity
Chadchart Sittipunt made over 200 pledges prior to his landslide election victory last Sunday with the economy, environment, and health, high on his list of priorities. And when the Bangkok governor-elect vowed to clean up the metropolis, he wasn’t kidding. The 56 year old’s four-year term as governor began in earnest this week and, his agreement to use criminals to…
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Phuket looks for new groundwater sources to cope with acute water shortages
The Department of Groundwater Resources started a project to explore new groundwater sources in Phuket to cope with the ongoing water scarcity problem in the province. The project is also expected to be a model for other Thai islands to study groundwater resources and water management. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Varawut Silpa-Archa, assigned the Groundwater Resources Department…
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11 Malaria patients found in Thailand’s east, blood from monkeys on Koh Chang tested
The eastern Thai province of Trat has reported 11 malaria patients, 9 from Koh Chang and 2 from the Bor Rai district. The type of malaria found in the residents is the parasite plasmodium knowlesi. The disease was first detected in the local monkey population and then transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Blood from random monkeys on Koh Chang has…
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Black water still flowing into ocean at Phuket’s Kamala Beach
A popular Facebook page has posted a video and photos this week of black, dirty water flowing into Phuket’s Kamala Beach on the island’s west coast. The page, titled Monsoon Garbage Thailand, claims that the dirty black water was released from nearby businesses without any treatment. The Phuket Express reports that local business owners and government representatives have not yet responded…
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450 charging stations for electric vehicles by the end of 2022
PTT Oil and Retail Business (OR) plans to increase its electric vehicle (EV) business by adding more charging stations in the nation’s shopping malls by the end of the year. Terminal 21, Fashion Island, and The Promenade are next in line to get the charging stations under the PluZ brand. Five more stations, two in Bangkok, two in Pattaya and…
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More Thai national parks to close to allow for recovery during monsoon season
The national parks at Mu Koh Similan and Mu Koh Surin have joined Mu Koh Lanta in Krabi province in closing for the monsoon season. The famous tourist attraction of Maya Bay, on Koh Phi Phi Leh, kicked things off recently, when officials announced that it would once again close to allow the bay’s fragile eco-system to recover. Maya Bay re-opened…
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Dengue hasn’t gone away – Dengue fever in Thailand 2022, and how to avoid it
Covid-19, and the controls taken to limit its spread, have clearly disrupted essential health services and other disease control programs worldwide – school closures, lockdowns, curfews and social restrictions, hoping to limit the spread of Covid-19. But those enforced changes have also resulted in the transmission of other infectious diseases, including dengue fever. Despite dropping off the radar in the…
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Bangkok authorities look to tackle air pollution
After unsafe levels of smog and smoke blanketed Bangkok last month, the city’s authorities are now looking to tackle Bangkok’s notorious air pollution. The deputy permanent secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has said that this year, the BMA aims to work with other government agencies to deal with the air problem. He said that the BMA’s pollution control operations…
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Australia’s Great Barrier Reef facing “mass bleaching”
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, one of the most famous natural sites in the world, is suffering a mass bleaching event. Due to bleaching in 2016, 2017 and 2020, 66% of the reef’s coral was damaged. Bleaching occurs when rising ocean temperatures cause corals heat stress, and drain them of their colours. The UN threatened to lower the reef’s World Heritage…
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