Publication Code: N47
by Mingsarn Kaosa-ard and Sunil S. Pednekar
This report is based on the Thailand country study that formed part of the project "Environmental Strategy for Southeast Asia", initiated and funded by the Danish Cooperation on Environment and Development (DANCED) and the Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA). The aim of the project was to assist, through country and regional desk studies, in the formulation of Denmark's environmental assistance strategy in Southeast Asia--more specificially the subregion comprising Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Thailand Viet Nam. The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) was commissioned by DANCED through a consortium of Danish consultants, led by PEMConsult S/A, Copenhagen, Denmark, to conduct the Thailand country study. The study was completed between June and August 1996.
The study consists of a synthesis of information on Thailand's environmental endowments and their relationships with the economic and social development during the past three decades, the environmental actors responsible for shaping these relationships, and the issues these interactions have generated. Attempt is made to provide the information in a condensed form with qualitative remarks on the importance of each of the various issues at various levels: local, national as well as sub-regional. A perspective f environmental issues over the next decade is also offered. Specific issues are then identified, based on their significance to the environment, economy and society, as possible areas for co-operation between external agencies and the Thai government.
The information presented in this study was compiled from published reports and statistics on environmental and natural resource situation in Thailand. In addition, representatives of various institutions were contacted to develop a more comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of government policies and actions, and to assess the views of these individuals on the environmental issues with which the agencies they represent are concerned, priority areas and the future. Annex 1 provides a list of the individuals interviewed for this study.
This report is organised in five chapters. Chapter 1 gives a short background to Thailand's environmental problems and identifies some of the major causes of the environmental degradation evident today. This is followed by the description of the major environmental issues and problems in Chapter 2. The various environmental actors, including the government agencies, private sector and the public, are described briefly, and their roles analysed, in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 lists priority areas in environmentally important sectors: from forestry to water to industry to households. And finally, Chapter 5.
September 1996