Country Report

PEATLAND STATUS AND MANAGEMENT IN THAILAND 1

By

2 Tanit Nuyim

I. INTRODUCTION

Thailand has a comparatively small area of peatland. It is less than 0.15 % of the total land area of the country and are found in certain areas of the southern provinces. Peatland has unique features and numerous benefits provided directly or indirectly to the country as a whole and to the people living around the peatlands in particular. These environmentally invaluable areas have become the focus of endeavors among the private and the public sector in the conservation and management to obtain optimal benefits. This is reflected in the efforts made by successive governments in the designating peatlands with virgin forests and those deemed potentially restorable as reserve areas. As a consequence, an area of 200-sq. km. of Phru Toe Daeng, a peat swamp in Narathiwat province, has been declared a wildlife sanctuary area. Similarly, the peatland in Thale Noi of Phatthalung province and in Khuan Khreng of Nakhon Si Thammarat province have been designated as Non-Hunting areas. Operation units have been assigned to these areas and strict laws have been reinforced against encroachers. Degraded peatlands have been converted to land settlement cooperatives, where plots of land were distributed to the landless villagers for engaging in the agriculture purposes, e.g. cultivation of oil palm. In addition, the government has also set up the task forces for controlling and preventing forest fires, frequently occurring in the peatland and a major cause of its degradation. A Royal Initiated Project for research and development of peatland was established to ensure that peatland, or the so-called ‘Phru’ in Thai, is maintained and survived.

II. PEATLAND DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS OF PEATLAND IN THALAND

Peatlands are found mostly in the Southern part of Thailand, particularly in Narathiwat, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Choomphon, Songkhla, Phatthalung, Trang, and Surat Thani. A few of them are found in the East, in the province of Trat, and in the Central, as in Lopburi(Fig 1). However, extensive surveys have not been made to determine the exact areas of peatlands in Thailand. In fact, studies and

1Presented in the workshop on " ASEAN Peatland Management Initiative". 16-17 October 2003, Bogor, Indonesia 2Department of National Park, wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand 2

research on peatland in Thailand started only 15 years ago, and the studies have been confined to certain groups of academics. This has resulted in the information on peatland in this country rather incomplete. The definition of peatland has not been agreed upon and defined to the same standard, thus making the outcomes of the studies to differ in terms of figures and statistics. A study by Vijarnsorn and Panichapong (1987) found that the total area of peatland is 45,034 ha., locating in Narathiwat (26,600 ha.), Nakhon Si Thammarat (12,300 ha.), Choomphon (2,704 ha.), Songkhla (887 ha.), Phatthalung (446 ha.), Pattani (180 ha.), and Trat (1,917 ha.). Other areas of peatlands have not been included in this study, e.g. Khanthulee (Surat Thani), Thoongkhai (Trang), and peatland on mountain ranges such as Doi Inthanon (Chiang Mai), and Hala-bala (Yala and Narathiwat).

As for the status of peatland in Thailand, it is found that peatland is covered with primary forests with more than 470 species, some of which are as 40 meters tall. This type of peatland, normally constituting the peat layers of 3.5 meters in thickness and 1-2 meters beneath the surface, is approximately 700-800 years old, and covering a total area of 8,000 ha. It is found in most Toe Daeng peat swamp forest in Narathiwat(Fig 2). Peatlands with thick forests have been subject to forest fires, which cause much damages and loss to original plants species. As a result, original plant species have been replaced with weeds and budding plant species such as Melalueca cajuputi and Macarangca sp. Frequent forest fires have caused the peat to vanish or remain very little and the affected areas become open land, part of which have been encroached upon by settlers. However, not all the open land is arable due to strong acidity in the soil.

Peat swamp forests, according to a survey conducted by Jirasak et al. (1991), cover a total area of 64,554 ha.(Table 1). These forests are mostly found in Narathiwat (47.97%) and Nakhon-Si-Thammarat (29.35%). However, the area constitutes only 14% of primary forest, whereas the rest are degraded peat swamp forest. The fact is that the area of peat swamp forests is greater than that of the total peatland in the country. This may due to the fact that part of the present peat swamp forests used to be the peatland areas, with no clear evidence of peat layers remaining.

III. USES OF PEATLANDS Peatlands in Thailand provide both direct and indirect uses to the people living around them. The area around the peatland is the fertile ground for local fishery. It is the place where wild products are found such as Metroxylon sagus Rottb, fruit of Eleiodoxa conferta (Griff.) Burr., rattan, mushroom, Lepironia articulata (Retz.) Domin. Peatlands also provide trees for construction and as for fuel purpose. The land in the peatland is used for agricultural purposes such as cultivation of plants, animal raising and other uses, as illustrated in Table 2. Furthermore, it was found that in Nakhon Si Thammarat a certain area of peatland in Khuan Khreng has been used for reforestation of Malaleuca cajuputi,

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Lopburi Chantaburi

Trad

Chumporn Phuket Surat-Thani Nakornsri- Thammarat Krabi Puttalung Songkla Trung Pattani Narathiwas

Fig. 1 Distribution of peatlands in Thailand

N

4

Fig. 2 Distribution of peatswamp forest in Narathiwat province

(Source : Veeravaitaya, 2003 and Vijarnsorn, 1996)

Table 1. Distribution of peat swamp forest in Thailand

region province secondary primary total remark

forest (ha) forest (ha) (ha)

Southern part Narathiwat 21,992 8,978 30,970 -Toe-daeng 8,403 ha - Bachoe 575 ha NakhonsiThammarat 18,946 - 18,946

Chumphon 3,285 - 3,285

Surat Thanee 1,542 48 1,590

Songkla 4,829 - 4,829

Pattani 1,205 - 1,205

Yala 190 - 190

Trang 86 6 92

Phuttalung 2,768 - 2,768

Phuket 63 - 63

Krabi 47 - 47

Total 54,951 9,032 63,982

South east coast Trat 453 - 453

Rayong 120 - 120

Total 573 - 573

Grand Total 55,523 9,032 64,555

Source : Jirasak, et al. 1999 a promotional scheme with subsidy of 3,000 baht per rai (1600 sq.m.) from the government. The plants thrive well in this area. In other areas, the peat soil has been used as material for preparing seedlings. The excavation of such soil allows O2 to penetrate and expose to pyrite (FeS2), causing a reaction that generates acidity in the soil.

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Some Peatland area in Thailand of 1,500 ha. is under the jurisdiction of two land settlement cooperatives namely Bachoe Land Settlement Cooperatives Office and Pileng Land Settlement Cooperatives Office in Narathiwat province. Both settlements promoted members to cultivate oil palm. Each participating family was allocated a plot of about 3 ha.; other infrastructures such as roads and water regulating mechanism were provided. Both areas are operated under the cooperative limited arrangement.

In addition, more than half of the peatlands in the country have been designated as wildlife sanctuary areas and non-hunting areas. These areas have been used as the places for breeding and habitation of wildlife. The areas also function as the sites for conservation of environment and biological diversity. To promote conservation of nature, the government has constructed nature study trails in the peatlands for people to take a close look at the natural features of the sites. Each year a large number of visitors take part in the eco-tourism by walking along the trails at the Princess Sirindhorn Peatswamp Forest Research and Nature Study Center, located in Sungai Golok district of Narathiwat province, and at Thale Noi Non-Hunting Area in Phatthalung province.

Table 2: Multiple uses of peatland in Thailand

Direct Uses -Large fishing grounds for villagers -Collecting fruit of Eleiodoxa conferta (Griff.) Burr. and other wild fruits such as Dialium patents Bak., rambutan, Rhodomyrtu tomentosa Wight, wild mango, the fruits serving as snack or for sale -Collecting Sago palm leaves, extracting starch from Metroxylon sagus Rottb., gathering larvae from the trunk Metrosylon sagus Rottb. -Collecting wild natural honey -Collecting mushrooms, particularly Melaleuca mushrooms - Lycopodium cernuun Linn. leaves for flower decoration -Young leaves of Nepholepis radicans (Burm.f.) Kuhn and Stenochlaena palustris (Burm.f.) Bedd. for cooking -Leaves from Licuala sp. can be used to wrap desserts -Grounds for collecting ornamental fish -Source for firewood, processed timber, and trees for general purposes -Source for organic soils used for preparing seedlings -Cultivation plot for plants like oil palm -Source for collecting rare medicinal plants -Large water retention area for irrigating farm land and for household use - Source for collecting seeds of Crytostachys renda Bl. -Source for collecting fragrant flowering plants, ornamental plants, and valuable plants -Animal raising area -Collecting Lepironia articulata and Pandanus sp. -Collecting Lygodium sp. and rattan for making basketry

Indirect Uses -Breeding ground and habitation for wildlife species -Serving as large storage area of carbon to regulate global ecology -Source of conservation sites for flora and fauna genes - Serving as large water intake and flood prevention -Minimizing impact of strong wind 6

-Source for study and research -Attractions for eco-tourists

IV. PROBLEMS WITH PEATLAND MANAGEMENT

Peatland is the place where sediment of peat is loosely formed in the waterlogged area. The soil contains low nutrients for plants and the peatland is subject to risk of forest fire during the dry season. Most importantly the peatland area is prone to changes, making its management rather difficult. Basic problems related to peatland management are listed below.

4.1. Lack of basic information and knowledge about peatland Lack of accurate information about the peatland is the basic problem that must be tackled with. It is necessary that surveys be made on the peatlands relevant to their area of distribution, topographical and ecological features, fertility, plant species and water level as well as water flow. The data obtained can be utilized for planning of peatland management. The only agency that is actively engaged in the collecting the data is the Center for Research and Study on Nature of Sirindhorn Peat Swamp Forests located in Narathiwat province. However, the tasks carried out by the center are limited to the area of Phru Toe Daeng, Narathiwat. Not much study has been made on other peatlands.

4.2. Forest fires Like elsewhere, peatlands in Thailand have been destroyed chiefly by forest fires. To prevent the fires effectively, it is necessary that the water level be maintained above the soil surface of the peatland, and this effort seems difficult and costly to manage for a large area peatland. It can only be stated that forest fire management in Thailand is rather successful to a certain extent. This is due to the fact that the government has set up a forest fire control unit in each province, with special supports given to those provinces where there are extensive peatland areas such as Narathiwat and Nakhon Si Thammarat. The huge forest fire which incurred to Toe Daeng peatland in 1998 lasted for three months and damaged 2,374 ha. of the area after successful attempts to control it through the mobilization of fire fighting forces and equipment as well as the use of artificial rains. After the 1998 experience, special action units in conjunction with various government agencies have been set up to plan and prevent the forest fire. Special attention is given to the peatland area with attempts to maintain the water level in the peatland through the use of watergate or sandbags. However, due to limited budget and manpower, coupled with the intentional burning of the bushes by encroachers and hunters as well as unintentional incidents, forest fires are frequently occur during the dry seasons.

4.3. Conflicts of interest in the utilization of peatlands Peatlands provide needs to their residents in various forms and it is often found that the objective of each group of residents associated with the peatlands seems to differs. The government agency responsible for conservation and protection of the environment would want to maintain the area for conservation purpose. This is in contrast with certain agencies responsible for development including the majority of the people, which want to see the peatlands converted into the area for farming and other purposes. The conflicts of 7

these difference objective have accounted for encroachment on peatlands and burning of brushes. Proper zoning of peatlands in line with group objectives may be a way out in solving these problems.

4.4. Difficulty in restoration The deposit of peat until becoming thick layers is a long process but damage or loss caused by fires does not take a long time. Peat loss by such phenomena also requires a long period to replace it. Replacement of damaged plant species is also complicated due to the water level, fast growing of weeds and difficulty in site preparation and reforestation. Most plant species thriving in peatland forest grow slowly; therefore, restoration of degraded peatland forest takes a longer time than other forests.

4.5. Acidic and low nutrient soil Peatlands in Thailand have been derived from mangrove forest with large content of mud and strong acidic element underneath. Raising a pH level requires a large quantity of limestone and an irrigation system that facilitates rinsing of the acidity in the soil. This is the main obstacle for the management of peatlands for farming purpose.

4.6. Illegal felling of trees The problem of illegal felling of trees exists in the fringe area of the peatlands, particularly outside the conservation area. Villagers often fell Melalueuca cajuputi for making charcoal or construction support.

4.7. Drainage Management of peatlands for farming purpose always requires drainage. Unregulated drainage often makes the peatlands become dry and susceptible to severe forest fires. In certain areas, this accelerates the ecological change of the peatlands.

V. EXISTING POLICIES RELATED TO PEATLAND MANAGEMENT

Current peatland management in Thailand is operated under various frameworks such as the Ninth National Economic and Social Development Plan (2002-2006), National Forest Policy, Wetland Policy, Wetland Management Action Plan (1998-2002), the Work Plan on Wetland Management for 2003-2007. Peatlands in Narathiwat and Nakhon Si Thammarat province are managed under the Royal Initiated Project.

All management of peatlands are operated in line with the existing laws of the nation, including the Constitutional Code (1997), Wildlife Reserve Law, National Reserved Forest Act (1964), National Environmental Quality Promotion and Conservation Act (1992) as well as laws pertaining to agricultural and fishery activities.

VI. INSTITUTION OR AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR OR ACTIVELY WORKING ON PEATLANDS

Various government agencies and organizations have been involved with the management of peatlands, each of which has different missions.

6.1. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment 8

Major agencies under this ministry that are involved with the management of peatlands are Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The department is entrusted with the task of overseeing, maintaining, and protecting peatlands in the reserve areas. Its duty is to protect the area from encroachment, forest fires, to carry out study and research and to rehabilitate the peatland area. The department has delegated the regional office, the Office of Management of Reserve Forest Areas, to take charge of all the designated tasks. Smaller separate offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Office of Management of Reserve Forest Areas including the Chalerm Phrakiat Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary Area, Thale Noi Non-Hunting Area, Princess Sirindhorn Peatswamp Forest Research and Nature Study Center, Phikulthong Peatswamp Forest Research Station, Center for Prevention of Forest Fires, and other royal initiated projects. In addition, other related agencies are also involved with the management of peatlands. These include the Royal Forest Department, Office of Natural Resources and Environment Policy and Planning and Department of Pollution Control.

6.2. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Agencies from this ministry that are involved with the task of peatland management are varied. The Royal Irrigation Department is responsible for regulating and managing water in the peatlands. The Department of Land Development is entrusted with the duty of making improvement on the acidic soils so that the land is cultivatable. The major agency under this department is the Royal Phikul Thong Development Study Center, established under the royal initiated project, which has the function of carrying out studies on peatland management. It is expected that outcomes from the studies can be applied to other peatland areas. In addition, the Department of Fisheries and Department of Land Settlement are also involved one way or another with peatland management.

6.3. Ministry of Interior Agencies under the Ministry of Interior that are involved with peatland management include Land Department, local administrative organizations such as Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) and Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO). 6.4. Office of the Prime Minister The National Economic and Social Development Office is responsible for outlining the overall development plan and policy of the country. Office of the Royal Development Project Board provides support operated under the royal initiated projects on peatlands, i.e. Pikul Thong Development Study Center in Narathiwat province and Pak Phanang Basin Project in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

6.5. Ministry of Industries The ministry provides supports in terms of processing of products from peatlands as well as product development.

6.6. Ministry of Sports and Tourism The ministry promotes eco-tourism in the peatland areas.

6.7. Ministry of Public Health Peatland is the habitation of Mansonia bonneae, a carrier of elephantiasis. Efforts have been made by the ministry to combat this mosquito species.

6.8. Other organizations 9

Other organizations involved with peatland management include educational institutions such as local universities, civic groups, and non-governmental organization. Most of the activities carried out by these organizations involve the conservation and restoration of peatlands.

VII. CAPACITY BUILDING NEEDS Although management of peatlands has been progressing to a certain extent, additional supports are still required. The followings are the needs that should be provided to the management of the peatlands.

7.1. Establishing a clear focal point and responsibility for peatland management.

7.2. Additional people to work on peatland issues, particularly researchers who can work on site.

7.3. Due to inadequate funding available, additional funding for peatland management and restoration is needed.

7.4. Training for the agency staff and communities in fire prevention and control, plant identification and soil assessment, utilization of peatland products, rehabilitation techniques and sustainable agriculture.

7.5. Exchanging of seeds among ASEAN counterparts for use in planting in their respective peatland areas.

VIII. MAJOR ONGOING ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS

Major conservation activities such as anti-encroachment, anti-illegal logging and hunting, fire prevention and control as well as studies and research related to faunas and floras and biodiversity are carried out by the on-site offices under the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Soil assessment and utilization of land for farming in the area of peatlands are under the responsibility of Department of Land Development. Regulation of water level in the peatlands is the task of the Royal Irrigation Department. However, as for Narathiwat province, peatland management has been successfully carried out under the Royal Initiated Project. The project started in 1982 by involving many government agencies to carry out multi-disciplinary study and then implementing peatland protection and sustainable development. Consequently, Pikulthong Development Study Center was established to provide support on agriculture, forestry and environment to local communities. Later the Princess Sirindhorn Research and Nature Study Center was established to support conservation, research and awareness of peat swamp forest. Other projects carried out under the context of peatland management include greenhouse gas emission project, operated in conjunction with Japanese experts, and reforestation of peatland project under the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Other government agencies and NGOs have also supported the reforestation of peatlands and environmental education.

IX. FUTURE STRATEGIES AND PLANS Various peatland management activities that have been proposed for implementation between 2003-2005 include the followings:

9.1. Identifying measures for effective prevention of peatland encroachment and fire prevention.

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9.2. Establishing a technical working group on peatland management to gather and compile knowledge from related agencies and experts.

9.3. Conducting the national inventory of peatlands that includes the classification of the importance of each area and zone.

9.4. Creating database, based on the inventory data.

9.5. Educating, raising awareness and building capacity at all levels.

9.6. Formulating national policy or measures for conservation and wise use of peatlands.

9.7. Developing future strategies and plans as well as guideline for wise use of peatlands.

9.8. Establishing the networks for researchers and communities, etc. for information exchange.

9.9. Cooperating and working closely with local communities, other countries and relevant international organizations.

9.10. Restoring secondary forest in peatland area through -Strengthening fire prevention and control measures -Demarcating boundary of projected area

X. KEY AREAS OF POTENTIAL INVOLVEMENT OF THAILAND TO APMI Thailand has involved in various programs and has a potential to support future programs, such as the followings:

10.1. Activities currently included in the work plan. 10.2. Organizing a seminar in April 2003. 10.3. Hosting study tour for Indonesian participants in April 2003. 10.4. Proposing new potential areas. 10.5. Preparing manual for reforestation of peatlands. 10.6. Providing training and hosting visits for visitors from other countries. 10.7. Supporting student for working research. 10.8. Providing a short course on rehabilitation (1-2 weeks).

XI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Special thanks go to Mr. Asae Sayaka(Wetlands International-Thailand Programme) and Mr.Vichien Sumantakul (National Park, wildlife and Plant Conservation Department ) for improving the English and commenting on the text of this paper.

XII. REFERENCE 11

Chukwamdee, J. , Anansiriwat, A., Meepol, W., Jintanugoon, J. and Havanon, S., 1999. Study on distribution of peatswamp forest in Thailand. J. Thai Forestry Research V. 1 No. 1: 23-32. (in Thai) Plengklai, C., Niyomdham, C. and Ueachirakan, W. 1991. Flora in Peat Swamp Area of Narathiwat. Bangkok : S. Somboon Press. (in Thai) Vijarnsorn, P. 1996. Over view of swampy management and conservation in Thailand. Proceeding of Seminar on Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Agricultural Land Management in Boggy Regions, Narathiwat, 5-10 November 1996 pp. 36-54. Vijarnsorn, P. and Panichapong, S. 1987. General description of saline and peat/ acid sulfate soils in Thailand from the meteorological, topographical and pedological viewpoints. In Coastal and Inland, Salt-Affected Soils in Thailand, pp 7-18 Tokyo : Nodai Research Institute. Tokyo University of Agriculture. Veeravaitaya, N. 2003. Paper presented at the International Seminar on Wise Use & Sustainable Management of Peatland, 9-11 April 2003, Royal Princess Hotel, Narathiwas, Thailand