Wetlands are Recognised as an Important Resource
A year-long effort by residents of Bang Saphan to preserve the Mae Ramphueng swampland is about to bear fruit.
The national environmental policy office has agreed to nominate the site as a national wetland.
The villagers kicked off the campaign to register the 4,000-rai peat swamp, said to be Prachuap Khiri Khan's last pristine swampland, as a wetland of national importance last year. The move was part of a protest against plans by the steel giant Sahaviriya Group to build a smelting plant near the swampland.
Nirawan Pipitsombat, chief of ecosystem management at the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep), yesterday said experts had finished a report on the ecological importance of Mae Ramphueng peat swamp and would forward their findings to the National Environment Board.
"If the board agrees, they will then seek cabinet endorsement to list Mae Ramphueng as a national wetland," Ms Nirawan told a press conference on the World Wetland Day yesterday.
Onep's wetland experts have found the Mae Ramphueng peat swamp to be a crucial water storage site that helps prevent flooding and acts as a buffer against seawater intrusion on coastal communities. It is also a home to 39 animal and 194 plant species.
There are currently 84 sites listed as national wetlands. Ms Nirawan said Onep planned to nominate five other areas for listing as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
They are Kud Ting in Nong Khai, Bung Boraphet in Nakhon Sawan, Koh Ra-Koh Prathong in Phangnga, Koh Kra in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Kwan Phayao in Phayao.
Thailand currently has 11 Ramsar sites.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti said wetlands across the country were under threat from development projects.
"There are many projects, both run by the government and the private sector, that cause harm to the wetlands. These include dykes that block water running into the wetlands," he said.
"We need cooperation from all sectors to help protect the wetlands."
Source - The Nation