Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Environmental Issues
Deforestation
Thailand has put enormous pressure on its ecosystems through cultivation of land into cit-
ies and farms. Natural forest cover now makes up about 28% of land area, compared to
70% some 50 years ago. The rapid depletion of the country's forests coincided with the
shift towards industrialisation, urbanisation and commercial logging. Although these stat-
istics are alarming, forest loss has slowed since the turn of the millennium to about 0.4%
per year.
In response to environmental degradation, the Thai government created a large number
of protected areas, starting in the 1970s, and set a goal of 40% forest cover by the middle of
this century. In 1989 all logging was banned in Thailand following disastrous mudslides in
Surat Thani Province that buried villages and killed more than a hundred people. It is now
illegal to sell timber felled in the country, but this law is frequently flouted by local popula-
tions living near forest complexes and by those with well-connected interests.
In 2013 a pipeline unloading an oil tanker of the coast of Rayong spilled 50,000L of crude into the sea,
coating the western side of Ko Samet.
A corollary problem to deforestation is habitat loss. Wildlife experts agree that the
greatest danger faced by Thai fauna and flora is neither hunting nor the illegal wildlife
trade, but habitat loss. Species that are notably extinct in Thailand include the kouprey (a
type of wild cattle), Schomburgk's deer and the Javan rhino, but innumerable smaller spe-
cies have also disappeared with little fanfare.
Coastal & Marine Degradation
Thailand's coastal region has experienced higher population and economic growth than the
national average, and the majority of the country's manufacturing industry is located along
the eastern seaboard and the upper Gulf of Thailand. With increased population comes in-
creased environmental pressure.
Soil erosion is a major coastal problem. According to the World Bank, Thailand is losing
2 sq km from its coastline every year. This is due in part to coastal development (construc-
