A new land demarcation policy for Thap Lan National Park will finally help bring some land conflicts to an end.
The resolution, made by the National Parks Committee on Monday, will lead to the revocation of about 155,000 rai of overlapping land from Thap Lan National Park, covering Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri and Sa Kaeo provinces.
The new demarcation is based on the recently agreed-upon "One Map" -- a single map reference to clear up forest land disputes among state agencies.
Repossessed plots will be given to the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro) under the Ministry of Agriculture and several communities that have been living in the area before Thap Lan National Park was formed over four decades ago. About 8,000 rai of forest land, meanwhile, will go to the army.
These agencies and communities have criticised the environment ministry's Department of National Park and Plant Conservation (DNP), which oversees the management of national parks.
The decision on Monday followed the defeat of the pro-environment campaign known as "Save Thap Lan". Launched in 2024 by respected conservation group the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation and backed by the DNP, the campaign garnered more than 840,000 signatures to prevent a revocation of land in Thap Lan National Park. The decision regarding the Thap Lan National Park border upholds the One Map policy. In turn, it will help silo culture in forest land management.
Normally, each ministry and department uses its own map and policies to announce state land demarcation. Inconsistent maps have turned many communities and forest dwellers into lawbreakers and landless people.
Overlapping land demarcation leads to lawsuits involving the state and affected villagers. Unclear land status also opens the door to land grabs, as resorts purchase land rights from some forest dwellers.
While the One Map policy will hopefully quell those conflicts, bigger challenges remain.
The government, especially Alro, needs to ensure that land plots go to poor and landless farmers. Indeed, there are many cases where Sor Por Kor land plots are misused.
Even more worrying is that political parties, such as Klatham and the People's Party, promised voters to give Sor Por Kor land to villagers.
Former agricultural minister Capt Thamanat Prompow of the Klatham Party had revised Sor Por Kor conditions to permit land for small-scale businesses, such as petrol stations or even small-scale tourist accommodation.
Needless to say, without strict oversight, Sor Por Kor land, including recent land plots that were repossessed from Thap Lan National Park, could be exploited.
Therefore, the authorities must create reliable oversight to filter out ineligible cases and remove resorts and businesses that are located in national parks and Sor Por Kor areas.
The DNP also faces challenges in dealing with wild animals. The revocation of 150,000 rai of forest land -- and presumably another 100,000 rai in future -- will fragment the land, affecting the movement of wildlife.
The government needs to show how to create a balance between humans and nature. Without good oversight to prevent exploitation, the One Map and the Thap Lan policy will only lead to the loss of our precious forests.
