If a tree doesn't fall
Uncle Surin Chindaraks: Confused over government policy on mangrove
forest
MANGROVE CONCESSIONS: Has a government ban on felling mangroves
wrongly targetted those whose best interests lie in preserving these lucrative forests?
Tunya Sukpanich
Pattani
'No matter how much we work to ensure the fertility of the mangrove forests in our concession rights," said an 80-year-old mangrove concessionaire in Yaring district, "we are threatened with the same punishments as those who destroy mangroves in other provinces."
Ten years ago, Mr Surin Chindaraks, locally known as "Uncle Surin", was awarded by the National Mangrove Resource Committee as an outstanding concessionaire.
Uncle Surin has been a mangrove concessionaire since the first concession period in 1968, which ended in 1983. Later, he successfully bid for the second 15-year concession period from 1986 to 2001.
Following a 1997 government order temporarily halting the cutting of wood in mangrove concessions, Uncle Surin and other concessionaires from various provinces met to discuss the issue with government officials, including Forestry Department Director-General Prodprasop Surassawadee.
Samplings of mangrove trees ready for replantation.
-- Pictures by TUNYA SUKPANICH
They asked the authorities to review the order.
"We are very confused by the government decision," Uncle Surin said.
"Even though the government can revoke any concessions at any time, they must have proper reasons and they must be logical with their orders."
In his opinion, the wood-cutting suspension severely cripples the concessionaires, who are compelled to take care of their area but can no longer earn money from the mangroves.
Uncle Surin is concerned, particularly for concessions located quite far from communities, because they can be easily destroyed.
"Concessionaires will not send anyone to look after the mangroves if they are not allowed to cut trees there," he said. "And the Forestry Department does not have enough officials to prevent encroachment."
Empty promises: In a significant development, more than 100 concessionaires reportedly declared their intention to permanently stop their mangrove tree-felling operations and demand government compensation.
Uncle Surin explains the ripple effects of this move.
"This means that they stop looking after the mangrove under their concession rights.
"But since my concession plot is located near a community and the area is quite small, we, together with forestry officials, can look after the plot," he said.
Workers in the mangrove business are mainly local villagers either
living in the charcoal kiln area, or in nearby villages. As a result, concession
sites are cared for more easily and at less cost when communities are nearby.
Uncle Surin said Mr Plodprasop Surasawadi, the director general of the Forestry Department, had promised that by last December those who were found to have complied with concession rules would be allowed to continue felling mangrove trees under their original concession rights.
"The time has passed. We have yet to receive an official version of his promise," Surin said.
If the situation continues, the mangrove forest will be further damaged by villagers who indiscriminately cut down trees for firewood and construction materials to be sold in local markets. Worse, they may even turn the area into prawn farms.
A sustainable resource: Yaring is a southern district with 4,700 rai of natural mangrove area for concession. Uncle Surin is the only concessionaire in the entire district.
The first-ever concession period was granted on this plot of mangrove. His plot is classified as one of several mangrove-type economic zones.
Back in those days, harvested areas were replanted. Uncle Surin was so successful that his plot become even more fertile as a result of his efforts. When he won the right to a second concession period, he reaped the benefits of his own labour.
"Felling trees in mangroves under the concession system can be sustainable if you really intend to keep them for eternity," Uncle Surin said.
"If communities gather firewood from mangrove forests, as well as construction materials, they need to replant the trees.
"The same principle applies whether a concession or a community uses up a mangrove's resources," he said.
Getting their cut: Concession holders are required to pay a concession fee, a royalty fee, and a deposit for initiating a replanting programme.
The concession fee for Uncle Surin's 4,700-rai mangrove is one million baht, more than half of which he paid when he signed the concession contract. He will pay the remaining half in yearly installment over his 15-year concession.
Uncle Surin said that he paid only about 70,000 baht the first time he applied for a concession.
"But the charcoal price at that time was only 80 satang per kilogramme," he said.
Most mangrove wood is made into charcoal.
The royalty fee is five baht per cubic metre of cut wood. The replantation fee is three times the royalty rate, or 15 baht per cubic metre.
"We have to pay royalty for every single piece of wood cut from the mangrove," Uncle Surin said. "The pieces of wood we use to create the charcoal are counted as well."
Clear-cut approach: In the mangrove industry, forestry officials are involved from the start.
First, they separate the mangrove forest into small plots, using canals as natural boundaries.
Clear-cutting in alternate strips is the method enforced in every mangrove plantation, and concessionaires are responsible for removing every tree in each designated strips. The remaining uncut strips work as buffers against erosion from tides and monsoon rains.
Woodcutting in mangrove forests on this coast is done year round, because high tides do not pose a threat. On the Andaman coast, concessionaires can cut trees only 15 days a month, Uncle Surin said.
Usually, between 2,700 and 3,000 cubic metres of wood can be harvested from a plot of 200 to 250 rai in a mangrove forest each year.
This means that a concessionaire must pay about 15,000 baht in royalty fees to the Forestry Department.
"We have four charcoal kilns with a combined capacity of about 448 cubic metres," uncle Surin said.
"In a year, the charcoal kilns are used about seven times," he added. "The burning process of creating charcoal lasts for about 34 days, using up to 24 stoves."
One cubic metre of wood can produce 300 kilogrammes of charcoal. The present market price of charcoal is about seven baht per kilogramme.
Wood with big and straight trunks is separated and sold as construction material. A continuous cycle: Concession regulations require concessionaires to reforest mangroves immediately after cutting. Usually, economic mangrove species such as Rhizophora, Avicennia, and Ceriopses are planted.
The survival of the saplings is the responsibility of the concession holder for a period of three years.
Subject to approval by local forest officials, the replanted plots are returned to the Forestry Department. It is only then that concessionaires can reclaim their deposit (15 baht per cubic metre).
"Each year we invest about 60,000 to 70,000 baht for the replantation scheme," Uncle Surin said.
The replanting investment benefits not only the concessionaire, but also the the environment and nearby communities.
Villages depend on mangroves for food, firewood, fishing and construction materials.
Uncle Surin doesn't have to, but he allows villagers to gather firewood and catch fish or crabs in his concession area.
"If they need big tree trunks for house repairs, I ask for a guarantee from their village head to ensure that they really will use it to repair their house," he said. Costly delays: "If the state wants us to resume operating our concession, they must extend the time to compensate the years we lost due to this stoppage order," Uncle Surin said.
Early in 1997, when the Forestry Department issued an official order to stop felling mangrove trees, Uncle Surin was about to harvest trees in his tenth clear-cutting strip.
"I have six concession plots to operate. It is impossible to cut all of them before 2001 (when the concession ends)," he said.
Moreover, without a time extension, the replanting scheme will be negatively affected.
"Under concession rules, if we cannot process all felled wood into charcoal, we will be fined. We also have to pay royalty fees as usual.
"Further, existing charcoal kilns do not have the capacity to handle extra loads," Uncle Surin said.
Some suggest that concessionaires should build more charcoal kilns to process more wood. Uncle Surin said that building a kiln is too expensive. "Construction materials such as red bricks cost a lot," he said.
"Investing in new charcoal kilns is not practical, since we know that a third concession period is highly unlikely," he said.
With several decades of experience in the mangrove forest and charcoal business, Uncle Surin says he plans to bid for concessions in two 1,021-rai mangrove plantations in the Bang Poo project, and one 712-rai site in the Ko Lae project.
"But we are waiting for the government to decide finally
whether they will allow concessions in mangroves or not," Uncle Surin concluded.
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