Guardians of the forest
ENVIRONMENT: The frontline forces in the fight against illegal
loggers and wildlife poachers are the forest rangers who risk their lives for little
reward
 |
| UNSUNG HEROES: Armed forest rangers patrol nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries across Thailand on the lookout for poachers and illegal loggers. -- Courtesy of SEUB NAKHASATHIEN FOUNDATION |
VASANA CHINVARAKORN
Forest Ranger Samphan Deephan's smile appeared forced
and cautious. "How does a low-ranking member of staff like me feel about the
recent Salween logging scandal with my big bosses being implicated?" He pauses
for thought.
"We only think about doing the best we can in our assigned areas: saving trees
and animals - that's our job," he quickly adds.
Despite the self-effacing reply, Samphan, 48, and other forest rangers like him
are the unsung heroes in the battle to preserve Thailand's remaining woodlands. As
one of about 10,000 rangers across the country, Samphan, or "Phi Khieu,"
sometimes finds himself in the frontline of the government's fight against illegal
loggers and wildlife poachers.
The "peak" of his 20-year career came in 1980 when he was involved in
a gun battle with poachers in the Huai Kha Kaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani
province. Of the eight-man team patrolling at the time, only six came back alive.
According to the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, a non-governmental environmental
organisation, in the last seven years at least 52 forest rangers have been killed
or injured in the course of their work.
The toll includes one ranger who took his own life due to work-related pressure.
Records of other similar cases are not available.
The foundation was set up in September 1990 shortly after the suicide of Seub Nakhasathien,
a forestry officer noted for his lifelong devotion to environmental causes. The late
Seub frequently expressed his appreciation for the contributions of the rangers and
daily workers. While heading the Huai Kha Kaeng Wildlife Sanctuary office, he initiated
several projects to boost their welfare and morale.
Among the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation's multi-faceted activities is a financial
assistance programme for families of forest rangers in distress: 10,000 baht to the
deceased's spouse and 700 baht a month to each child until he or she reaches maturity.
"Forestry officers come and go, but it's the unnamed staff stationed in each
unit who are the key to the forest's survival," notes Chatchawal Pisdamkham,
head of the Secretariat Office for the Western Forest Complex Conservation Committee,
and a board member of the Seub Foundation.
To look after the country's 230,000 square kilometres of national forest reserves,
there are about 8,000 forestry officers charged with managing either conservation
or utilisation of forest resources. The actual leg-work of policing the forest falls
to the forest rangers, estimated in 1996 to number about 10,000. Only one-fifth are
employed on a full-time basis.
Ironically, the labour of these lowly workers usually goes unrewarded. Forest rangers
- recruited from among the daily forest workers who have at least five years' tenure
and have passed the exams set by the Royal Forestry Department (RFD) - are paid a
monthly salary but enjoy no pension benefits. Daily workers on the other hand fare
much worse: there is no compensation besides the daily wage, of which the rates are
not even covered by the national labour laws.
Except for the Huai Kha Kaeng crew, no other forest rangers are provided with insurance
schemes. And neither are the daily workers, even though they also sometimes find
themselves risking their lives to protect the forest, especially when dealing with
armed intruders who may be backed by influential groups.
The following list compiled by the Seub Foundation documents recent cases:
December 14, 1997: Somsakdi Srisaikham, daily worker at Khao Yai National Park, Nakhorn
Ratchasima province, shot to death while on duty.
July 27, 1997: Singha Naramanitr, daily worker at Khao Noi-Khao Pradu Sanctuary,
Phitsanulok province, shot while on duty.
November 6, 1996: Pan Paengkaen, head of daily workers at Doi Pha Chang Sanctuary,
Phayao province, shot to death on his way to work.
BUDGET CUTS
"Bullets" from the present economic clampdown may prove deadlier, however.
The RFD reportedly sliced its budget by as much as 30 percent, as part of the new
austerity programme required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The first target is temporary staff on the lowest echelon. In addition to the downscaling
of wage rates (about 150 baht per day on average), the maximum number of working
days allowed per month has been reduced from 26 to 20. Each forest unit is seeing
its size shrink rapidly, either by force or circumstances.
"A few have already quit or are toying with the idea," says Samphan.
"They earn less, and on top of that, some haven't been paid since last October
(end of the fiscal year). As a full-time employee, I'm lucky to get my salary on
time. They only cut my per diem rate. I don't know if they will take away my medical
insurance or not," adds the veteran ranger.
Cash-strapped, the daily workers have few sources of loans. The more fortunate ones
may be able to borrow from their bosses, if well-heeled and generous, or from the
interest-free revolving fund provided by the Sueb Foundation.
"However, our capital is so small that we can only provide for staff in the
five sanctuaries in the Western Zone," explains foundation manager Nittaya Wongsawat.
Many other workers resort to loan sharks who charge exorbitant interest.
"About five percent per month. So by the time the money arrives, we've already
become 'debt-rich'," quips Juree Sornjit, 28, a daily worker at Huay Mae Dee
forest unit.
While the boundaries of forest reserves remains static, fewer staff means that each
person has to look after a larger area. For instance, statistics at the end of last
year show the 1.7 million-rai Huai Kha Kaeng forest has 288 employees: 7 forestry
officers, 49 forest rangers and 232 daily workers. A rough estimate indicates that
each person, regardless of status, has to look after almost 6,000 rai.
A bigger workload with smaller remuneration may drive these custodians either out
of the woods, or to succumb to tempting offers from outsiders.
According to Major Phongsak Saichua, a volunteer in forestry conservation programmes
since 1974, the trend is worrying since people"cannot live on rice alone."
"They may be able to borrow food from their superiors. But what about other
family expenses? Who will pay for their kids' tuition fees?
"This phenomenon shouldn't be underestimated. While outside villagers are starving
and trying to break in, people on the inside are becoming weaker," confides
Maj Phongsak whose office, the 3502 Military Rangers Unit, is located at the entrance
of Huay Mae Dee forest.
A few other officers share his concerns. Forestry Officer Sunthorn Chaiwattana pointed
out a legal loophole in the legislation: the national wildlife reservation and protection
bill does stipulate prohibition of illegal entry into the sanctuaries, but there
is no specification of penalties.
"Before, the checking booths at the entrance were very stringent. Only people
with the central office's permission were allowed to go in and registration was a
must. But now with less staff...," Sunthorn's voice trails off.
RANGER TRAINING
A cacophony of chirpy music wafts around the clusters of trees as each species
of wild bird stakes out its territory as Chatchawal, former chief of Huai Kha Kaeng
forest, explains that effective protection of this natural habitat implies that forest
rangers have to look beyond the boundary of their own jurisdictions and pull resources
together.
This was the topic of a recent series of workshops initiated by the Seub Foundation,
with partial support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), early this year. Each workshop
was attended by RFD crews from 11 parks and six sanctuaries that comprise the Western
Forest Complex straddling six provinces (Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Sawan,
Suphan Buri, Tak, and Uthai Thani).
Considered the most fertile of all forests on mainland Southeast Asia, the sheer
size of the Huai Kha Kaeng forest - 11,790 square kilometres - makes it a rich breeding
ground for rare flora and fauna. Indeed, the biodiversity here is said to be second
only to that of the Amazon Forest in South America.
"One significant task that rangers will be required to do, after the ratification
of the Biodiversity Pact, is to 'facilitate' the work of outside researchers,"
Chatchawal says, describing a new facet of ranger training that will involve basic
research methodology.
"By this, I mean the rangers will be equipped with sufficient knowledge to
gauge if things are being done right or not. No more for those haphazard ways of
cutting down trees just to count the years' rings, or sneaking away natural treasures
without our permission."
The RFD's training programme is mainly for full-time staff with the focus on conservation
at the national level. The Sueb Foundation's workshops, however, are geared toward
daily workers with an emphasis on fostering holistic views of the forest as an integrated
ecosystem.
Many forest workers are, in fact, authorities on the intricate ecology of the forests,
but in most cases, their lack of formal schooling works to their disadvantage.
"Some know so much, and yet after working for ten years, still cannot make
it through the exams to become full-time rangers. Their skills and potential have
been underutilised due to stale relationships between them and their superiors who
have top-down attitudes," says a former head forestry officer who declined to
be named.
The problem may be perennial as it seems built into the RFD's bureaucratic structure.
In the mean time, Chatchawal anticipates that forest workers can at least contribute
to the building up of a database, a prerequisite for the efficient management of
the forest.
"Instead of just carrying guns while patrolling, rangers could also be equipped
with tools to record locations of plants and wildlife they come across. So far, we
rely on satellite pictures which are only guesstimates," Chatchawal explains.
Indeed, forest rangers of the modern times may be assigned more research-based duties
and less policing responsibilities. In addition to the general workshops, the Seub
Foundation is planning to hold two intensive training courses later this year, one
focussing on patrolling and research skills, the other on educational campaign strategies.
After all, Chatchawal is convinced the best arsenal is intellectual, not military.
For Jitpraphan Kritakom, a seasoned forest ranger, public relations work may appear
less dangerous, but in fact it is far more time- and energy-consuming. The results,
though, could be far-reaching.
"It's not easy to convince people, but once you succeed, it's there for good.
To use guns and run after those crooks, on the other hand, you'd have to do it until
your last breath," notes Jitpraphan.
At present, the Seub Foundation together with the Office of Western Forest Complex
Committee have drawn up a four-year development programme for forest rangers in the
area.
Each year will see about 250 rangers undergo three separate rounds of training,
and 75-80 attending each of the two intensive courses.
Official support from the RFD comes in the form of permission for a few key forestry
officers, like Chatchawal and Sunthorn, to run the projects once in a while.
"No extra pay. Only a per diem rate which has recently been cut to 54 baht,"
adds Sunthorn with a chuckle.
GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
"Quite a few people asks us why we are helping a government agency like the
RFD?" says Sueb Foundation manager Nittaya.
"On the surface, it seems that they are fully equipped with plans, personnel
and budgets. But it's actually just glitter. As outsiders, we cannot change the system
from within. But at least we can do whatever's in our capacity.
"Just imagine, the people who look after the forests on behalf of the country
are leading precarious lives, making 3,000 baht a month, without any assurances at
all from their bosses."
At present, the Seub Foundation, run by six people, has four different funds catering
for various aspects of natural preservation: a General Fund, Forest Rangers' Fund,
Wildlife Fund and the Seub Nakhasathien Memorial Centre Fund (for environmental awareness
campaigns).
Due to limited funding, mostly local, a few other projects are still pending, such
as plans to set up the Rangers Development Fund and the Nature Study Centre, as well
as to replicate their projects in other forest zones of the country.
But at the very least, what the foundation has offered seems to make a few grassroots
guardians of the forests aware that they have not been altogether forgotten.
"We don't have an institution that we can claim as out own," says one
ranger on the last day of the workshop. "We aren't like soldiers who can boast
of their army, or forest officers who can talk of the RFD. But from now on, we'll
have our purpose to look forward to.
"That is to save the forests."
For those who want to show support to the forest rangers, contact the Sueb Nakhasathien
Foundation at 561-2469-70, or fax 561-2470. Donations can also be made directly to
the foundation's savings account number 099-2-68730-4 with Thai Farmers Bank, Phaholyothin
branch.
Please fax or send a copy of the deposit slip to the foundation at 50, Kasetsart University Alumni Association Building, Phaholyothin Road, Chatuchak district, Bangkok, 10900, so a receipt can be issued to the donor.