Forest cover in Thailand has been greatly reduced as people convert forested land to agriculture or misappropriate public lands for private use. Forest cover fell drastically from 53% in 1961 to 25% in 1998. An estimate by the World Wildlife Fund concluded that between 1973 and 2009, Thailand's forests declined by 43%.[15]During the period 2001-2012, Thailand lost 1 million hectares of forest, while restoring 499,000 hectares.[16] Wetlands have been converted to rice paddies and urban sprawl.[17] With a government measures in place to prohibit logging, deforestation rates have dropped, but the impacts of deforestation are still being felt.[18]
Deforestation creates a host of environmental problems: soil erosion, sedimentation of rivers, and loss of natural habitat. Wetlands and mangroves in coastal areas have been seriously degraded by expansion of commercial fishing, shrimp aquaculture, industry, and tourism, causing much of Thailand's biodiversity losses.[19] It is estimated that Thailand in 1961 had 3,500 km2 of mangrove forests. By 2004 that number was less than 2,000 km2 according to the Thai government.[20]
In June 2015, as a severe drought gripped northeastern Thailand, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged farmers to forgo a second rice crop in order to save water. He attributed the drought to massive deforestation. At least 26 million rai (4.2m ha) of forested land, especially forests in the mountainous north, had been denuded, according to the prime minister, who said that forests were needed for the generation of rainfall.[21]