Thailand and Saudi Arabia Boost Environmental and Natural Resource Cooperation

Today (April 22, 2024) at 09:00 AM, Mr. Thalerngsak Phetsuwan, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), was delegated by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to meet with Dr. Khaled Abdullah Al-Abdulkader, the Executive Director of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC). The meeting aimed at exchanging data and experiences in environmental and natural resource management. The discussions were held in the conference room on the third floor of the Climate Change and Environmental Administration Department, with representatives from various Thai environmental agencies including the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, the Forestry Department, the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, the Greenhouse Gas Management Organization, and the MNRE’s office.

The discussions emphasized the critical need to preserve and manage natural resources and the environment. Thailand has implemented a policy aimed at increasing its green spaces to cover 55% of the national land area by 2047. This involves categorizing forest areas according to their specific uses such as conservation areas in national parks, reserved national forests, mangrove forests, and community forests, all managed and monitored by relevant government bodies under legal and regulatory frameworks. Local community involvement in the conservation and upkeep of forest resources is also encouraged. Furthermore, the forestry sector has implemented carbon credit management initiatives, including the Thai Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (T-VER). This program supports the creation of mechanisms that enable the international exchange of carbon credits.

Saudi representatives expressed keen interest in Thailand's use of technology for managing national parks and tourism, such as the E-ticket system to control tourist numbers. They also discussed community engagement in forest conservation, economic forestry for timber trade, and certification processes. The Saudi delegation plans to visit Khao Yai National Park, the Sakaerat Environmental Research Station in Nakhon Ratchasima, and the Mangrove Nature Study Center in Chanthaburi from April 23 to 25, to further study and discuss potential collaborative projects.