163 Forest Landscape Restoration FLR requires suitable techniques for different biophysical settings and stages of degradation.
It also needs to be done in a participatory manner all stakeholders to fulfil their needs. In Thailand, most forest restoration efforts are often done sporadically in fragmented plots depending on available public and private funds and lands, which
vary annually and from place to place. The restoration efforts are sometimes done without community consultation and participation. Success is unlikely as the communities do not gain a sense of ownership, and hence, they may not follow
up with the requisite maintenance and protection efforts. Next, without supporting policies and legal frameworks, FLR is not going to succeed. Policy-wise, it is recommended that FLR should be highlighted and promoted among the public
and private sectors as a practical method for forest restoration. It is also recommended that there should be incentives for FLR implementers. Without the appropriate tenures or usufruct rights, technical and financial support from government
agencies, and incentives from the resulting ecosystem services or enhanced output of forest products, FLR will not be recognized and people may not be willing to implement it.
8.1 National strategy for forest and landscape restoration
In 2011, the Thai Government declared eight policies: 1 first-year urgent policy, 2 government stability policy, 3 economics policy, 4 social and life quality policy, 5 land, natural resources, and environment policy, 6 science, technology, research,
and innovation policy, 7 foreign affairs and international economic policy and 8 good governance policy. For the fifth policy there are eight themes: 1 conserving and restoring forest and wildlife resources, 2 conserving and restoring marine
and coastal resources, 3 preserving environmental quality and controlling pollution, 4 building equity and reducing gaps in utilization of land and natural resources, 5 promoting and building awareness and responsibility about natural resources
and the environment, 6 promoting integrated water management, 7 building resiliency and preparing for climate change and natural disasters and 8 developing knowledge on natural resources and environmental management. The first theme
emphasizes conserving and restoring forest and wildlife resources. There are many planned activities within this theme, for example, reforestation, forest protection and patrolling, promoting forest-cluster administration, community forests and
protected areas, supporting the participatory approach in forest management, and so forth. It has been projected that there should be about 17.224 million ha about 33.5 percent of the total country area of healthy forests. Despite planned
activities on reforestation and promoting forest-cluster administration, there is no clear direction on forest landscape restoration.
The first mission statement of the MNRE is to conserve, protect and restore forest and wildlife resources, which is a clear sign that the ministry is serious about forest restoration. For its six strategies, two deal with restoration – 1 to protect and
restore watershed areas, and 2 to conserve and restore forest and wildlife resources Table 9.
The NESDB issues national economic and social development plans every five years. It concluded for the first ten plans 1961-2011 that the country’s performance has been overall satisfactory. Forest cover is believed to have increased from
32.7 percent of the country area in 2006 to 33.6 percent in 2010, through reforestation efforts in mangrove forests, community forests, demonstration forests, private plantations and protection of protected areas. However, the current
forest cover is considered inadequate to maintain ecosystem balance. About 2.24 million ha of watershed forests are considered to be in a critical condition. The 11th NESDP covers 2012 to 2016. There are six development strategies in
this plan. The last is on sustainable management of natural resources and the environment. There are four objectives: the first addresses conserving and restoring natural resources and the environment to be adequate for maintaining ecosystem
balance, as the foundation for national development. The first of its goals is to maintain protected areas for at least 19 percent of the country area, to increase the forest area to 40 percent of the country area and to increase mangrove areas
by at least 800 hayear.
Another agency under the jurisdiction of the MNRE related to forest restoration is the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning ONEP. ONEP has a five-year Environmental Management Plan 2012-2016. There are
six strategies within this plan, and one of them is sustainably conserving and restoring sources of natural resources. The strategy’s goal targets sources of natural resources and biodiversity being effectively protected, conserved, and restored.
One of the indicators for this goal is to increase the country’s forest cover to 40 percent of the total land area. For this strategy, there are two action plans: 1 sustainably protecting and conserving natural resources in all ecosystems, and
2 restoring and promoting efficient utilization of natural resources. For the second action plan, there are urgent and intermediate planned activities. One of the urgent planned activities is promoting planting of trees with high economic
potential and planting of similarly valuable trees in long rotations on private land. Some of the intermediate planned activities, especially in watershed areas and transition zones of protected areas, are: 1 promoting co-existence between
communities and forests, 2 building incentives for tree planting in the form of tree banks, 3 planting of multipurpose trees and 4 forest restoration and reforestation through agroforestry; restoration activities for degraded ecosystems e.g.
forest ecosystems and watershed ecosystems and ecosystem components e.g. soils and water are also part of the plan.
In general, Thai citizens are well aware of the advantages of forests. There are campaigns by government agencies and the private sector for reforestation for both land and coastal mangrove forests on different national holidays e.g. Their
Majesties’ birthdays. There have also been efforts countrywide for reforestation to commemorate auspicious occasions of other members of the Royal Family. At the country level, there are strategies, objectives, aims and action plans by a
number of government agencies for ecosystem both land and coastal forests restoration. Some of the aims are slightly different. For example, the aims for country cover range from 33 to 40 percent. While work on economic plantations and
planting for watershed protection are clearly spelled out, FLR has not achieved any footing. Tree planting at the plot level is a normal practice. One of the nearest efforts for FLR is the Project on Forest and Wildlife Conservation in the Provincial
