Conservation concern over draft laws on environment

Despite growing criticism from environmentalists and academics, two draft laws covering national parks and wildlife conservation will undergo revision.

"We have to conclude the revised draft laws by the end of next month because they must be submitted to the Cabinet in September," Manoo Thongsri, the legalaffairs chief at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said yesterday.

Critics say the revision would hurt environmental and wildlife protection because private companies would be allowed to use parts of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries for business activities.

In response to concerns expressed by environmentalists and conservationists, Manu said his department was committed to protecting the environment and wildlife as much as possible, but the legal revisions had to respond to government policies as well as the 10th National Economic and Social Development Plan. He added that his department was "uncomfortable", without elaborating. His department is now adjusting some text in the drafts prepared by Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University lecturers.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has hired the lecturers to draft new national park and wildlife conservation promotion laws to replace the 1961 National Park Act and 1992 Wildlife Reservation and Protection Act.

Sakanant Plathong, of the Prince of Songkhla University's Faculty of Science, said the national parks bill did not provide protective measures for marine national parks to international standards. He said the bill also authorised only park chiefs and the directorgeneral to designate park perimeters, without sounding out opinions from local communities.

Sakanant said two articles in the bill allowed the directorgeneral to singlehandedly award concessions for operators of food stalls in national parks in a monopoly manner.

Associate Professor Somphoj Srikosamart, of Mahidol University's Faculty of Science, said the Wildlife Reservation and Protection Bill would make businesses concerned with wild animals in private care boom even more.