Wildfires Threaten Thailand’s Forest Conservation Efforts Amid Climate Change and Agricultural Burning

Thailand's reserved forest is more vulnerable than ever before to forest fires, deforestation, and global warming, with experts predicting long-term biodiversity and reforestation losses. Recent scientific expeditions to Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary in northwest Thailand uncover the widespread damage from recurring forest fires, with most of them attributed to traditional agricultural fires. Representatives from Thailand Forest Restoration and Research Unit (FORRU) and Kew Royal Botanic Gardens documented extensive burning in places expected to remain safe and untouched.

During the Thai spring fire season for agriculture, farmers would usually burn crop lands to prepare the ground for new crops. Though the practice has been enriching soil for ages to support indigenous agriculture, it increasingly threatens nearby forests with warmer and drier weather conditions as a result of global warming. Bushfires spread quickly at times deliberately and sometimes by accident into reserved territories such as wildlife reserves. Bushfires not only destroy vegetation but also destabilize the fragile ecosystems within them, threatening various plant and animal species.

NASA satellite information gathered has reported increased fire hotspots in most of the national parks and sanctuaries, including Umphang. Within the region, the researchers encountered burnt or smoldering forests. Instead of a thriving wildlife population, they saw ash on the ground, burnt vegetation, and fire-affected wildlife. Burnt nests, insects, and felled trees were evidence of the devastation. Though legally classified as a wildlife sanctuary, Umphang does have within it some cultivation plots, upon which various villages have customary rights to farm. These plots pose it the challenge of achieving a balance between livelihood and conservation.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and FORRU are now seeking to identify tree species with enhanced resistance to climatic stress factors. They hope to use genetics and seed bank information to help aid future reforestation in Thailand. By examining temperature and humidity's effect on seed germination and seedling growth, the researchers hope that they will find tree populations capable of surviving in warmer, more arid environments. The researchers are gathering seeds and leaves from target species, which will be tested for genetic diversity and climatic adaptability.

The three tree species of interest are native to Thailand: Albizia odoratissima, Phyllanthus emblica (Indian gooseberry), and Sapindus rarak (soapberry). The plants are not threatened and have been utilized by previous local communities. Through the mapping of their genetic diversity in various climate zones, the researchers aim to demarcate seed zones and direct reforestation. Samplings are gathered through a combination of tree identification, access to canopy, and meticulous documentation. A percentage of seeds from each tree is removed in limited numbers to allow natural regeneration to occur.

The plants are then sent to the UK's Millennium Seed Bank, which stores more than 40,000 species of seeds. Scientists there will then run germination tests at various temperatures and humidity levels to see under what conditions a given species will thrive. Genetic sequencing will also tell scientists how populations are organized and what characteristics might enable future trees to withstand environmental stress.

Even with the advancement in science, the field team still encounters numerous challenges. Umphang fires are still a frequent occurrence, poor visibility, charred grounds, and danger of injury complicating operations. Also, inadequate government funds for preventing wildfires and protecting forests in distant areas such as Umphang result in numerous fires going unchecked. Park rangers tend to receive inadequate funding and equipment, weakening conservation regulations and timely intervention when there is a fire outbreak.

The Thai fires are one manifestation of a worldwide surge in forest fires, and other examples include Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Though greater visibility and more able firefighting operations are taking place in tourist areas such as Chiang Mai, isolated refuges such as Umphang are still at risk. Without suppression, recurring fires of high severity have the potential to irreparably change ecosystems, suppressing natural regeneration and causing permanent loss of biodiversity.

Thailand's Department of National Parks has, on numerous occasions, closed protected forests to tourists in reaction to fire years with the goal of limiting human footprint and fire hazard, but these closures are at best temporary measures. Conservationists continue to demand more holistic policy that includes land use planning, farming methods, fire management, and climate adaptation.

The information gathered by the Kew and FORRU consortium is an investment that will be useful for the long-term restoration of the forest so that policymakers, conservationists, and communities can be aware of what species to introduce in the future. With such information, reforestation can be done more strategically using species that are genetically diverse and resilient to changing environmental conditions.

Even with the destruction on the ground, the research team maintains efforts at several sites in Thailand. Their collections represent an important bank of genetic material that can potentially facilitate easier future recolonization of forests. As Southeast Asian forests continue to be threatened, such activity constitutes an important scientific underpinning for conservation and adaptation.

Source: Phys.org via AFP
Credits: Adapted from AFP coverage, original article by Phys.org. Accessed April 2025.