Thailand Considers Satellite Imaging to Save Forests

Text of report in English by Thai newspaper Bangkok Post website on 12 September

[Report by Apinya Wipatayotin: "B160m plan for US satellite to protect forests"]

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is considering spending 160 million baht to protect forests against encroachment by using images from a US monitoring satellite. The idea is being opposed by another agency which is about to launch the first remote-sensing Thai satellite to survey natural resources.

Soontorn Watcharakuldilok, director of the Protected Area Rehabilitation and Development Office, will ask for support from the parks and wildlife department to purchase images from QuickBird, a US satellite.

Preventing forest encroachment and deforestation requires more precise images from advanced satellites to point to the exact location of the resources being plundered, he said.

“The important point is that we require images from advanced satellites if we are to take legal action against the offenders.

“Many of these people have escaped punishment because the evidence against them is weak. Advanced technology can help us overcome this problem,” said Mr Soontorn.

“We agree that the price is rather expensive, but spending 160 million baht to save our forests is a reasonable price.”

The department also plans to request another 140 million baht setting up an operations room for the forest protection mission.

The unveiling of the proposal comes just two months before the scheduled launch of Thailand’s six billion baht Theos satellite in November.

Theos, a cooperative project with the French satellite firm EADS Astrium, was initiated in 2004 during the first Thaksin government. Its primary purpose is to survey natural resources.

Chanchai Peanvijarnpong, deputy director of the GEO-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, insisted that Theos could be used to closely monitor deforestation and provide monthly updates showing forest areas which have been destroyed.

But Mr Soontorn said saving the forest was an urgent matter.

“We can no longer wait for the service from Theos. And we are not sure whether it will function effectively enough to meet our strong demands,” he said.

The Theos images would be of lower resolution that QuickBird’s photos and the longer period between images would not allow a rapid, aggressive response to encroachment, he said.

QuickBird’s high resolution images would show objects on the ground as small as 60cm. It is positioned only 450km above the Earth, compared to 650km for Theos, and its orbit would place it back over Thailand every five days, compared with 26 days for Theos.

Mr Chanchai did not deny the pixel images from Theos would not be as good as QuickBird’s, but insisted it could pinpoint the location of the deforestation – and it was cheaper than QuickBird.

Sasin Chalermlab, the secretary-general of the Sueb Nakhasathien Foundation, supported the use of satellite data to deal with the problem of forest encroachment.

But he was concerned that the information would not be followed up because of poor coordination between the Bangkok office and officials working on the ground in the provinces.

Vicharn Thawichai, deputy chief of the parks and wildlife department, said no decision had been made.

Originally published by Bangkok Post website, Bangkok, in English 12 Sep 07.

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