Deforestation is one of the most serious environmental problems in Thailand today.
In the past, efforts to solve the problem usually meant establishing single-species plantations, which are of little
value for wildlife conservation and watershed protection. Recently, however, the idea of
restoring original forest ecosystems has rapidly gained ground. Some senior Royal Forest
Department officials are actively promoting "enrichment planting", using a wide range of
native tree species and a random planting pattern.
In 1993 a nation-wide project, involving the government, NGO’s and the private
sector, was launched to replant 8,273 km2 of deforested land, to celebrate His Majesty King.