PUTAPRAPASRI 1

Suchanuch Putaprapasri
Mr. Abel Cadias
English 10 / 10:04
June 20, 2016
The Effects of Illegal Logging in Thailand to Animal Habitat
One of the main reasons for deforestation in Thailand is Illegal logging according to a
research conducted from 1998 until 2014 by the Bureau of Forest Land Management and the
Thailand Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The purpose of this research was
to describe the current deforestation situation in Thailand. The importance of this research is
to provide awareness on the effects of illegal logging to animal habitat in Thailand. The
pieces of information found in this report were based on five sources. First, the secretariat of
the House of Representatives in his report called Forest: The origin and equilibrium of life
talked about the change of Thailands forest over the past decades and the way Thai
government solved the problems. Second, the article entitled Case studied in tropical
deforestation in Thailand by the Rainforest Conservation Fund indicated some of the reason
and incident that happened in Thailand before the year 2000 that caused impact until now.
Next, Deforestation and Illegal logging in Thailand discussed forestry policy and
management, also the logging ban, illegal logging and reforestation in Thailand. In addition,
an article Thailands Deforestation Solution demonstrated about the past solution that
Thailand government has been used to solve the deforestation problem. Lastly, from a
research by International Tropical Timber Organization compared Thailands forest now and
then by pictures and provided supporting information about Thailands illegal logging.

Illegal Logging
Illegal logging has been a big problem in Thailand for many decades. Currently, the
forest declination rate has always been decreasing in the past decades, but currently the
situation is getting better even though some years the rate are still decreasing. According to

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the research by the Department of Forestry and Faculty of Forestry in 1998, Thailand forest
area was reduced to only 25.28%. The government of Thailand has banned logging due to a
massive flood occurred in Thailand in November 1988, killing many people and animals.
This Act, started using in 1989, helps protect not only the forests but also the wildlife.
Although this cause the price of wood to raise up and start the illegal logging which takes
about one fifth of all the logging in Thailand. Some timbers did stop logging in Thailand but
some dont. Instead, many companies turned to logging in Laos, Cambodia or Myanmar
which were more abundant (Hays, 2014). Meanwhile, Thailand wood producer switched
from logging natural forests to planted forests. By the year 2013, forest area raised up to
31.57% and in 2014 there are 31.61% forest area. However, according to the National Social
and Economic Development Plan No. 11(year 2012-2016), Thai government set the goal of
increasing the forest area to 40%. Although after the logging ban, there were still illegal
logging in the Thailands wood export but its only a little amount while most illegal logging
wood stayed in Thailand.
Although in the recent years the forests of Thailand were increasing but from the
statistics of forest invaded by the Thailand National Park of Wildlife and Plant Conservation
between 2009-2012, about 38,602.3 rai per year of forest was invaded. The Thailand forest
department also cooperated with the Kasetsart University and the Office of Geoinformatics
and Space Technology Development or GISTDA and The Ministry of Science and
Technology used the image from satellite to researched on the area of forest between 20082013. They found that currently Thailand has only 102 million rai of forest left (one rai=3.95
acre), while in 2008 there are 107 million rai. This told that within five years, five million
hectares were or an average of one million rai per year. In most cases, from the illegal
rosewood logging statistics by the Crime Prevention Center on Natural Resources and
Environment recorded that there were 2,734 cases of conservation forest invasion litigated

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from 1 October 2013 till 31 March 2014. The government of Thailand didnt take step on
protecting the forest much until 2013. In 2013, Thailand and EU had made a negotiation in an
agreement to seriously solve the illegal logging problem. According to an investigation made
by the NGOs, stated that corruption in Thailand is the main reason for the illegal logging. The
timber baron had an agreement to share profit with the bad politician and military which they
greatly profited from selling illegal wood. The Forestry Official and the forest patrons were
having difficulty protecting the forest due to armed gangs hired by those who do illegal
logging and many villagers in Thailand are doing these jobs for decade and their whole
family relied on this job. The NGOs also tracked the illegal logging path. They told that
illegal wood in Thailand were sent to Burma, which are safer to sell and export.

The Effects of Illegal Logging to Animal Habitat

Illegal logging is one of the reasons by human that cause animal habitat to be ruin.
Habitat loss is a main threat to the biodiversity of all organisms according to the IUCNs Red
List, which they also stated that Habitat loss effect up to 85% of animal extinction. This
deforestation and logging make up about 70% of habitat loss in over the world from a
research made by National Geographic. Trees that animals used to live and that are their
home were destroyed and sold for the profit of some greedy people. Loss of habitat is only a
reason of species extinction. The consequences of animals died or extinct are effected the
animals in their habitat by making the predators decrease the population or make the
predators extinct too. Sometimes the animals prey will be overpopulation instead. The local
people who gathered wild things and hunted animals for food and medical are also effected.
Illegal logging can cause harm to animal habitats by messing up the water cycle which all life
on earth rely on, not only drinking water but the moist from water help cooling the
atmosphere and make it possible for life to exist. A research from North Carolina State

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University told that tree help contracting and hold soil together, making soil erosion
impossible and then lessen water pollution cause by runoff.
Moreover, according to a report from World Wildlife Fund or best known as the WWF
claimed that many years ago there are many animal like tiger, asain elephant and saola that
can be spotted anywhere in Thailand and neighbor countries. But now their population are
greatly decrease like the saola or the asain unicorn, many years ago there were thousands of
them but currently left with just less than hundreds and tiger couldnt be seen by the forest
rangers anymore. A century ago, there were about 100,000 elephants in Thailand then it
population decreased to about 2,000 elephants and they were captured for selling and
attracting tourism like when they let elephant walked bare feet on street which can be seen
regularly over 20 years ago in Bangkok, then charged tourism money if they want to feed the
elephants. But thanks to the 1989 logging ban that covered the protection for many wildlife
and banned the use of capturing elephants for tourist attraction. On the IUCNs Red List
report stated that animals that are endangered or extinct due to deforestation are Siamese
blind snake (Thailand wormsnake), white-rumped pygmy-falcon (Fielden's F\falconet),
Burmese python, leatherback turtle, W\white-eyed river-martin, rhinoceros, sumatran
rhinoceros, Eld's deer (brow-antlered deer),Schomburgk's deer, sero, Chinese goral, Gurney's
pitta, sarus crane, marbled cat, tapir, Fea's muntjac (tenasserim muntjac), gray ox, and many
more.

Prevention
The government methods of preventing the logging problem started in 1989 or the Act
called the logging ban. True that the logging ban created illegal logging but this is the first act
that government really enforced and strict with. This act didnt just help with the logging
problem, but also saved the wildlife. Thai forestry and rangers are patrolling and keep their

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eyes on the wood loggers. But the problem is that the wood loggers usually know where the
rangers are and hide from them. Not only this, the loggers often armed with high-tech
electronic for spying on the police or rangers communication and warning other loggers when
the rangers come. Thai government also made a project of reforesting or replanting the forest.
The main plants that government aiming for is the eucalyptus, which were economically
profitable. This project will first took place at the Golden Triangle area in the northeast of
Thailand. The golden triangle area once use to planted heroin. This projects forced about 1.25
million people to leave their home in the 1991. Then this lands were changed to planted
eucalyptus.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) that is the military coup dtat of
current Thailand had created a policy to improve how forest and natural resources are
managed. First, the NCPO is aiming for stopping the corruption happening in Thailand by the
politician and the government officer in both central and local level. The NCPO inhibited the
politician and government officer to intervene with the enterprise decision, including the
nomination of authorities involved in forest area and pollution elimination. Second,
accelerating the reforming of the organization and the structure of forest management with a
clear mission, reduce overlapping and make unity. Also quicken reviewing the composition
and role of the four judges of Thai National Environment. This process also involves the
reviving the judges of the department of Thailand National Forest then establishing national
institution of forest research and improvement. Next, Thais need to save the forest which
currently left with 102 rai and strictly prohibited the use of forest wood in both of the private
and the public projects. The NCPO forces the law to be strictly follow to reduce the invasion
and destroying the forest or using the wood in an illegal ways. Moreover, government
precipitates to set boundaries of forest area and make database to be in one system for
classification. Furthermore, to create and enforce measure for economic environment which

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include land tax, environment tax, cure for the people who has been negatively affect and
establish carbon fund to allure forest saving. Lastly, to establish judges for revolution the
environment and nature for mange nature and environment in justice.

Conclusion
The purpose of this research report was to describe the current deforestation situation
in Thailand. From the research in the past decades, in the year 1988 the forest area had
decreased to 25.18%. But in the year 2014, the forest area had increased to 31.61%. Even
though the forest area are increasing but the animals are already at very low population from
the decreasing of forest in the past decades and many already extinct. The predicted rate of
the forest left in the future will be very low, to less than half of the forest left now. This
research report recommends further studies on the future situation of deforestation in
Thailand.

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\References
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/2652/
Deforestation in Thailand. (25 March 2016). Retrieved 2 June 2016 from
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Evan Gershkovich. (16 October 2014). Thailand's Deforestation Solution. Retrieved 2 June
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Deforestation. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 June 2016 from
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Rhett A. Butler. (4 Feb 2006). Thailand: Environmental Profile. Retrieved 2 June 2016 from
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20thailand.htm
Jeffrey Hays. (May 2014). DEFORESTATION AND ILLEGAL LOGGING IN THAILAND.
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http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8h/entry-3327.html
Status of Tropical Forest: Thailand. (2005). Retrieved 2 June 2016 from
http://www.itto.int/sfm_detail/id=12450000
Hunsaker. (1991). Case studied in tropical deforestation in Thailand. Retrieved 2
June 2016 from http://www.rainforestconservation.org/rainforest-primer/4Case-studies-in-tropical-deforestation/c-south-and-southeast-asia/2-thailand/
Sitavir Treevirut. (November 2015). Forest: The origin and equilibrium of life. Retrieved 2
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ent_parcy/download/article/article_20151202083255.pdf

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Environmental issues in Thailand. (29 May 2016). Retrieved 2 June 2016 from
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Rachel Nuwer. (3 February 2016). Illegal Logging Has Become More Violent Than Ever.
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