Land Committee Proposes 3 Guidelines to Resolve Wild Elephant Issues

Matichon•Politics•17d ago

Reader Briefing

The Chair of the House Committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment proposes a three-part strategy to manage wild elephant conflicts and improve compensation systems.

•Kulwalee Noppamorbodee will discuss conclusions with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation on August 25.
•The proposed strategy includes early warning technology, targeted physical barriers, and expedited financial remedy for villagers.
•The committee suggests reviewing the 2027 budget balance between elephant push-back funds (over 200 million baht) and remedy funds (10 million baht).

Overview

•Kulwalee Noppamorbodee stated that wild elephants leave forests because of insufficient food and water.
•Kulwalee Noppamorbodee proposes using GPS and cameras, supported by research from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, to track individual aggressive elephants.
•The Committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment suggests testing barriers like electric fences or concrete barriers in 2-3 sample areas before expanding.
•Kulwalee Noppamorbodee intends to discuss with the Ministry of Finance to classify wildlife threats as a disaster under the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007.
•Classifying wildlife threats as disasters would allow provincial governors to use emergency funds to compensate villagers immediately without waiting for central budget processes.
•The proposed 2027 budget includes over 200 million baht for elephant push-back operations and 10 million baht for remedy funds.
•Kulwalee Noppamorbodee is scheduled to meet with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation on August 25.

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Key Quotes

Kulwalee Noppamorbodee

"This issue is not the fault of any one person. The elephant push-back teams work very hard; some risk their lives every night."

เรื่องนี้ไม่ใช่ความผิดของใครคนใดคนหนึ่ง เจ้าหน้าที่ชุดผลักดันช้างทำงานหนักมาก บางคนเสี่ยงชีวิตกลางดึกทุกคืน ชาวบ้านก็อดทนมานาน

Kulwalee Noppamorbodee

"Farms and gardens trampled by elephants represent their entire year's income. Damage occurs today, but money arrives months later. This is not the fault of the Department of National Parks."

ไร่ สวนที่ถูกช้างเหยียบพังทั้งสวน นั่นคือรายได้ทั้งปีของเขา เสียหายวันนี้แต่เงินมาถึงอีกหลายเดือนข้างหน้า ตรงนี้ไม่ใช่ความผิดของกรมอุทยานฯ

Key Entities

Person

Kulwalee Noppamorbodee(กุลวลี นพอมรบดี)

MP for Ratchaburi from the Bhumjaithai Party and Chair of the Committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment.

Organization

House Committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment(คณะกรรมาธิการการที่ดิน ทรัพยากรธรรมชาติและสิ่งแวดล้อม สภาผู้แทนราษฎร)

A parliamentary committee tasked with finding tools and solving obstacles regarding land and environmental issues.

Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation(กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติ สัตว์ป่า และพันธุ์พืช)ℹ️

The government agency responsible for national parks and wildlife management.

Bhumjaithai Party(พรรคภูมิใจไทย)ℹ️

The political party to which Kulwalee Noppamorbodee belongs.

Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation(กระทรวงการอุดมศึกษา วิทยาศาสตร์ วิจัยและนวัตกรรม)ℹ️

The ministry requested to provide research cooperation for tracking elephant behavior.

Ministry of Finance(กระทรวงการคลัง)ℹ️

The ministry the committee intends to consult regarding the budget system for disaster relief.

Law

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007(พระราชบัญญัติป้องกันและบรรเทาสาธารณภัย พ.ศ.2550)

The law under which the committee proposes defining wildlife threats as a type of disaster.

Place

Ratchaburi(ราชบุรี)ℹ️

The province for which Kulwalee Noppamorbodee serves as an MP.