environment
- Thailand News
Astronauts to plant Thai tree seeds on International Space Station
Astronauts orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station are going to plant Thailand’s national tree and study how the plant, known as the Golden Shower (yes, we know…) for its yellow hanging flower clusters, grows in an environment without gravity. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 4 astronauts as well as the seeds and supplies for the project was…
- Thailand News
Human feces dumped in watershed contaminates Karen people’s drinking water
A truck allegedly dumped a tank of human feces in a watershed that drains into water sources used by a group of Karen people, leaving the community in Northern Thailand’s Tak province with no clean drinking water. Around 200 Karen people gathered at a police station in the Phop Phra district to file a complaint. For generations, water drained from…
- Krabi News
Homeless hermit crabs in Koh Lanta need seashell donations
Hermit crabs on Moo Koh Lanta Marine National Park have been seen making homes out of broken glass bottles and other pieces of trash. With the shortage of shells on the Krabi beaches, park officials have launched a project called “Returning Homes to Hermit Crabs.” The park made a post on Facebook with photo a hermit crab that appears to…
- Environment News
Urgent plan to reduce PM2.5 – National Environment Board
With the air pollutant PM2.5 rising to harmful levels in some areas of Bangkok and increasing in other cities, the National Environment Board has approved an urgent plan. Pollution Control Department chief Atthaphon Charoenchansa says the plan has 12 measures to tackle pollution. It will be submitted to the Cabinet for review. A “pollution information centre” will be formed with…
- Environment News
Large “chunk” breaks off Krabi island, damaging coral reef at popular dive site
A large chunk of an island near Koh Phi Phi in southern Thailand has broken off and collapsed on top of a coral reef at a popular dive site. No one was around when the cliffsides sheered off and collapsed into the sea, but national park officers on a routine patrol noticed a section of the island had broken off…
- Environment News
New delivery application focuses on reducing Thailand’s food waste
The following story was sent to The Thaiger from the Yindii, a business focused on sustainability and reducing waste produced from the food industry. Yindii, a Thai anti-food-waste startup, launches a mobile application designed to match hungry, deal-seeking Bangkok residents with environmentally-conscious restaurants, grocery stores and cafes offering delicious food that could otherwise go to waste. Through its discounted “flash…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Prison release?, Pattaya Makeover, 6 new Covid cases | October 2
Justice Minister proposes releasing chronically ill inmates to reduce prison overcrowding In an effort to reduce overcrowding in Thailand prisons, the Justice Ministry is looking into allowing chronically ill inmates to be released on a royal pardon. There’s also talk of shortening sentences for those incarcerated on drug charges. Overcrowding has been a problem at Thailand’s prisons, especially now more…
- Environment News
PM pledges to protect Thailand’s natural resources at virtual biodiversity summit
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has said he’ll do his best to protect the country’s natural resources and tackle the issue of biodiversity losses in Thailand. He was speaking at a UN biodiversity summit, being held online. The term biodiversity encompasses all living organisms, whether plant, animal, fungi or micro-organisms. According to a report in Nation Thailand, the PM acknowledges the…
- Northern Thailand News
PM to tackle Northern Thailand’s seasonal haze… again
The Thai prime minister says he’s working on a plan to tackle Northern Thailand’s seasonal haze problem by cutting back manmade bushfires known to largely contribute to the air pollution. The issue has been broadly covered in Thai and foreign media for years, and been followed up with ministerial visits, promises, and little else. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke with governors…
- Thailand News
Thailand Post to upcycle parcel boxes into furniture for Border Patrol Police School
The Thailand Post is going to turn its parcel cardboard boxes and paper envelopes into tables and chairs for students at the Border Patrol Police School. The postal service says they’ve already received 10,000 kilograms of used boxes and envelopes for the upcycling project. People can send used parcel boxes and envelopes back to Thailand Post to be collected for…
- Environment News
Alcohol banned at national parks after complaints of trash and drunk tourists
Alcohol is now banned at national parks after tourists allegedly got drunk at a waterfall and others left a load of trash by their campsite. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has updated other park rules to make sure parks are kept clean and the wildlife isn’t disturbed. Just last week, trash left at a campsite at…
- Environment News
Khao Yai National Park litterers will get their trash back in the mail
“We purposefully collected all your rubbish in a box and sent them to your home as a souvenir as a lesson to not litter anywhere ever again.” So much trash was left at the Khao Yai National Park campsite that park officials have packed it in parcel boxes and sent it back to the campers. The Minister of Natural Resources…
- Northern Thailand News
‘Snake’ cave closed after visitors, looking for lottery numbers, graffiti the rocks
A cave known for its rocks resembling snakeskin is closed after some visitors vandalised the cave by rubbing the rock formations, hoping to find lucky lottery numbers. Other people wrote insulting graffiti on the rocks. The Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa ordered the immediate closure of the Phu Langka National Park’s Naga Cave until officials can come up with a plan…
- Environment News
PM denies government split over toxic chemical ban
As officials continue to debate a recently-introduced ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos, the PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha denies the government is split on the matter. He points out that coalition governments will always have differing viewpoints and that such differences will not affect the administration’s overall unity. Currently Glyphosate hasn’t been included in the ban. “Our core priorities are public health…
- Environment News
National parks may close annually to recover wildlife
Environmentalist think Thailand’s national parks need to take a break. They’re considering closing the parks once a year to give wildlife time to rehabilitate. Since many parks have been closed during the coronavirus pandemic, wildlife has returned to areas, according to Environment and Natural resources Minister Varawut Silpa-archa. By closing the parks for a 2 to 4 months out of…
- Thailand News
Immigration to deport men after alleged eco-vandalism in Koh Phangan
Immigration officials say they will deport the Hungarian and the Dutch man who were photographed handing sea creatures whilst diving in Gulf of Thailand off Koh Phangan. The men were arrested earlier this week and charged with “intruding in an area designated for environmental protection.” Attila Ott and Francesco Simonetti have been so-called “long-stayers” in Koh Phangan. Ott is a…
- Environment News
Pattani company turns marine debris into new shoes
Flip flops, sandals, thongs, whatever you want to call them, are often seen washed up on beaches along with plastic bags and bottles. Those old, forgotten shoes are being transformed into new flip flops by a Pattani company called Tlejourn, a Thai phrase meaning “wandering across the sea.” Using old sandals found on the beach, Tlejourn cleans and shreds them…
- Environment News
Farmers call on Thai government to overturn ban on pesticide use
A group of Thai farmers has submitted a letter to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, citing the ineffectiveness of products used to replace Paraquat and Chlorpyrifos, and calling for the ban on those chemicals, introduced on June 1, to be overturned. In the letter, they suggest the Hazardous Substances Committee impose restrictions on use of the products instead, while educating farmers on…
- Environment News
Government nominates Tham Luang park for ASEAN heritage ranking
The Thai government has nominated Tham Luang Forest Park in the northern province of Chiang Rai for ASEAN heritage status. The park made headline news around the world when 13 young boys and their football coach became trapped in Tham Luang cave following flooding. Today marks two years to the day that all 14 were found alive by a team…
- Environment News
More sea turtles lay eggs on Koh Samui
It’s been years since sea turtles have been seen laying eggs on Koh Samui beaches. But this year more than a dozen sea turtle nests have popped up around the island’s coast. Just over the weekend, 70 eggs were found by villagers at Laem So beach by the Ban Sai Ree Hotel. It’s rare for the turtles to come to…
- Covid-19 News
More masks, more problems: Covid waste pollutes oceans
Disposable face masks and plastic gloves are ending up in the oceans around the world, some calling it “Covid waste.” Conservationists and non-profits in Europe and Asia worry that the items used to protect those on land from the coronavirus are now threatening life underwater. In France, Laurent Lombard, from the non-profit Opération Mer Propre, posted a video on Facebook on a…
- Central Thailand News
Bang Saen plans to be a “zero waste beach”
A Chon Buri beach plans to be completely garbage free, aiming to be a so-called “zero waste beach.” The National Research Council of Thailand and Kasetsart University have teamed up to develop a waste management system and devices to help keep Bang Saen beach clean. Although there are far fewer people on the beach this year due to coronavirus restrictions,…
- South Thailand News
Monkeys drown in water tank after food and water shortage
15 monkeys were found dead in a water tank yesterday in Songkhla, near the Malaysian border. The province’s long-tailed macaque monkeys are facing a food shortage due to the lack of tourists in the area. Officials say the monkeys found yesterday must have been thirsty when they jumped in the 3 metre deep tank and drowned. There hasn’t been much rain in…
- Environment News
Chemical ban now in effect, farmers say they have few alternatives
Thailand’s ban on 2 toxic chemicals in herbicides and pesticides, is now in effect. While the move focuses on a sustainable, eco-friendly future, farmers say they are at a loss with no alternatives to keep bugs and weeds from killing their crops. The 2 chemicals, paraquat and chlorpyrifos, have been shown to be toxic to humans in some studies, in…
- Environment News
Dozens of plastic containers per person in state quarantine
…and the rest of us haven’t been helping the plastic problem either. Thailand started the year eco-friendly by banning single-use plastic bags. All good, but with “stay at home” orders and mandated quarantines, plastic waste has been increasing. One Thai artist, who stayed in a state quarantine facility, added up all the plastic containers and bottles he used during his…
- Hot News
Pattaya Council mulls a mass transport monorail system
Nothing like the middle of a pandemic to announce a new monorail project. Undeterred, the Pattaya City council have announced a new 9 kilometre monorail as part of its Eastern Economic Corridor projects. They cite the need to ease traffic congestion caused by rapid urban growth in the seaside party town. They say the inner city area is in desperate…
- Covid-19 News
National parks may remain closed for another 2 months
One positive aspect of the pandemic is the affect park-closures seem to be having on the environment, specifically some of the animals living in the parks. Looks like Thailand’s national parks might continue to be closed for at least another 2 months. All of the 133 national parks were initially closed to limit tourism and visits to those areas and…
- Environment News
The end of the annual crop-burning season – Chiang Mai gets some fresh air
As the annual crop season in north Thailand comes to an end the only good side-effect of the whole Covid-19 outbreak is a drop in the number of fires and plantation burning activity in the past few months. As a result, Chiang Mai’s Air Quality has experienced significant improvements, according to aqicn.org. The website data shows that Chiang Mai air…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok authorities under fire for over-zealous tree pruning
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has come in for some flak after some over-enthusiastic pruning of the city’s trees. Some of the city’s green shade was cut back to bare, ugly stumps. A report in the Bangkok Post says trees along Witthayu Road, near the city’s famed Lumpini Park, have been chopped down to their lower trucks. A similar fate has…
- Hot News
7 swim to Koh Samui to raise marine ecosystem awareness
7 swimmers, including actor and singer Phakhin Khamwilaisak, also know as “Tono”, have begun an 82 kilometre ocean swim for over 18 days to increase public awareness of the environment and the need to reserve Thailand’s marine ecosystem. They are also raising money to buy equipment for hospitals treating rare marine animals. The campaign hopes to raise the profile of…
